Iron and Grace
by Glenn and Katina Rentholen
Summary: future movieverse Commander Lennox's daughter is a good girl with a bad streak. What's a dad to do with such a troublemaker? Why, warn the truck, of course! COMPLETE
1. Daddys Girl

This is done with the new 2007 movie in mind. Of course, as usual I own NO chars. Not even Grace, even tho I don't know what her name REALLY is... I don't think they mentioned it in the movie OO

Enjoy.

1.1

It had been nearly sixteen years since they'd crash landed on this planet. This lush green place called earth.

And here he was, sitting in the driveway of a human home, pretending to be a truck.

_An old truck_, he thought, as the daughter of Commander Lennox came out the front door. Her father, still choosing to keep the 'Commander' rank in public, came out behind her. His hair, once brown, was beginning to thin at the temples, and turn a lighter colour.

Lennox had been right, of course, all those years ago. He and Sarah had created a beautiful baby, who had become a beautiful girl.

_And,_ the autobot couldn't help but recognize, _She's becoming an attractive woman, by human standards._

It seemed like forever ago that he had been carrying her around in a car seat- something that the other autobots would _never_ let him live down. And now, here she was, ready for her first time behind the wheel with her own license.

Lennox looked at Grace and smiled, "Passenger seat, young lady." He said jokingly.

The girl stared at him, "But.. But _daddy!_" she protested, reaching for her purse, "Look! I have it _with_ me!"

David Lennox smiled at his little girl and shook his head, "You're not driving him," He said firmly, "You're not ready."

Grace pouted her sweet little lips and looks at him again, making that face. That one he wasn't able to resist. _Ever_.

"_Please,_ Daddy?" she pleaded.

Shutting his eyes to her pleading, he shook his head.

"Come on, Daddy..." she said again. It was that voice that finally made Lennox give in.

He sighed, hanging his head, and held out the keys to his sixteen year old daughter.

As she climbed into the driver's seat, he walked around the front of the truck. "Sorry, Ironhide," he said, "But you know how she is…"

_I know how much of a pushover you are for 'the voice'_, thought Ironhide as he felt the weight of the girl in his drivers seat. He mentally sighed.

"Don't do anything funny." Lennox warned as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Like he'd ever do anything to put either of them in danger! Ironhide ignored the warning as he started up.

He let Grace steer them out of the driveway with care, and onto the highway.

He let her fumble with his radio stations until she found an acid jazz station. Lennox hated jazz. Especially the stuff that his daughter was humming along to as they drove along.

"Don't you think you should pay more attention to the road, and less attention to the music?" David asked his daughter with a hint of irritation in his voice. He tapped the dial, shutting off the offending music.

Grace pouted, "Music is essential to live, Daddy." She said, "Besides. You remember when I was a kid, what you used to tell me?"

David braced himself. He had hoped he'd live the words down. But _no._ Grace had a memory like an iron trap.

"You used to say- 'Gracie, when you're the one driving the car, _you_ can be the one to choose the station, but until then, I pick.'… You remember, Daddy?"

Ironhide could hear the smile in her voice. He could also hear David's disgruntled reply as he turned the radio back on.

Served him right for letting the kid behind the wheel anyway, he figured.

After a while, they stopped at the entry of the military base where the Commander worked. Grace got out of the car, saluting to the officer that walked past her.

_A real military brat, _thought her father with a smile, as he traded places with her.

Pulling into a parking spot, he pointed to the office, "You can drive for a bit, but I expect you to be back here in two hours." He said. He had intended to let her drive Ironhide to start with, but he had felt as though he needed to drive to the base, at least, and get her prepared for how the truck handled.

Grace smiled and nodded, hugging her father, "I'm just gonna go to the mall for a bit." She said, "I'll be back on time."

"I mean it." He said, "Two hours."

Grace rolled her eyes, "Yes, sir." She said, partially mockingly.

He smiled and ruffled her hair lovingly. "Behave. And, Gracie.."

She had gotten back into the drivers seat, and rolled down the window.

"Don't you even _think_ about going to that… place." He said with a bit of disdain.

_That place_ was in reference to a sleazy club that he had needed to pick up Grace from not quite two months ago.

The rundown brick building was supposed to be an underage hangout for teens. But more often than not, someone managed to bring some nature of drink to the place.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that her father had warned her away from the place several times, Grace had gone and gotten herself drunk one night.

So drunk, in fact, that she had managed to get lost while trying to walk to a friend's house, and ended up calling her father from a payphone, drunk and in tears.

Grace smiled, "No problem, Daddy." She waved as she backed the truck out of the parking spot.

Lennox knew his daughter well enough to know that she would try and disobey.

But he knew his truck well enough to know that it wasn't going to happen. Saying something like that would alert Ironhide to not _allow_ the girl to be getting into trouble.

Some days, Commander David Lennox was downright grateful that his 16 year old GMC truck was actually an intelligent super-robot in disguise.


	2. Possessed

Ladeda- The standard applies. I don't own them, and I don't know why I write this. We're all here on together. We all know we don't own the folks we write about...

Dude. The response from my first part was just.. amazing. Thanks guys! Here's the next part!

1.2

Grace sped off down the road, her foot a bit heavier on the gas pedal than her father probably would have liked. She turned back on the radio, the same Acid Jazz that had been playing earlier.

Ironhide had to wonder if her father knew just how heavy this girls foot was… But he sped along, coasting at an even ten miles over the speed limit with ease.

_Actually_, he thought, _this isn't so bad._ He couldn't believe he was thinking that about the music playing.

She started off down a side road and started humming along with the radio. Driving up to a fenced area, she laughed, "Ok- no drinks.." she laughed to herself.

_Ah._ _That place, _he thought, _Why? Lennox said 'Don't even _think_ about going there? So why??_ He mentally sighed again.

He was not going to get the proverbial brow beating because he let her get drunk and lost again. No. Way.

So he did what any super-robot in disguise would do.

He stopped. He just stopped. Put himself into park in the middle of the road before the fence and stopped.

Grace jerked forward, the seatbelt snapping tight to prevent injury.

"What the hell?!" she gasps, looking down at the steering wheel. She pressed down on the gas, listening to the motor rev, and stared in disgust, "Stupid truck…" she muttered, as she reached down to put the gear into park.

Blinking in surprise, she missed the gear. Looking down, Grace saw that the stick had slipped into park.

"Huh," she breathed, "Must've just... Slipped or something…" Although she wasn't really sure how a truck could just 'slip' through three other gears and into park. She grabbed the stick, and pulled, but it didn't move.

Behind her, a car honked.

Looking over her shoulder, Grace smiled weakly, "Yeah, yeah…" she sighed, "Sorry..."

She tried pulling the stick even harder, but it still didn't move.

_Who do you think is stronger, kid? Me or you? I'll bet I win,_ thought Ironhide with a bit of cocky pride.

The person in the car behind her had gotten out of their own car, and come up to the truck, knocking on the window.

Grace smiled at the male outside the window. He was older than she was, but probably still underage. She opened the door, "Sorry. The gear is stuck." She apologized.

The boy smiled, "Hey, no problem. I know how finicky these old trucks can get." He offered her a hand down, "Here, let me try getting it fixed for you."

_OLD?!_ Ironhide revved his engine loudly as Grace released the wheel.

Smiling, the blonde girl slid out of Ironhide, "Sure, thanks." She had a pretty smile, "I'm Grace. And you?"

"Tim." He climbed up into the cab of the truck. He took the stick with one hand and tried slipping it back into gear.

_There's not a chance on Cybertron that I'm gonna let you change the gear you obnoxious little punk._ Ironhide thought for a moment before changing his mind,_ Old? Ha. I'll show _you_ who's old!_

Suddenly, the door slammed shut on Tim's leg, causing the boy to yelp in pain. The engine revved, as Ironhide suddenly slipped into gear and began to drive off at a horrendous speed down the dirt road.

Grace stared, "Oh God. I'm dead." She squeaked.

He suddenly stopped at the top of a hill, turning around, and dumping said boy onto the ground.

Tim gawked. "What the hell?!" He scrambled to his feet.

Grace ran up the hill as fast as her legs could carry her, and tried to help Tim out, but the boy would have nothing of it.

"Your trucks fixed." He laughed weakly, "I must've hit the gas or something when I leaned in…"

Her blonde hair falling into her face, Grace nodded, "Yeah. I'm _so_ sorry. Are you ok?"

Tim nodded, running his fingers through his black hair, "I'm great. All in a days work, you know?" he laughed.

_You…_ Ironhide couldn't think of anything to insult the boy with. So he settled for making a loud sound with his engine, causing both boy and girl to jump at the same time.

Grace laughed, "Sorry. It's my dad's truck. Sometimes that just happens." Although truthfully, she was getting thoroughly uncomfortable with the large black truck.

_First the gear, now the engine and the horn? It's like it's haunted by my dad!_ She shuddered at the thought, _Creepy. Next thing I know, it'll be changing radio stations on me…_

Tim grinned, "You headed up to Th' Brick?" he asked.

Grace smiled, "I'd planned on it… but where my dads' truck is being so weird, I think it's probably better if I just head back out."

"Well, why don't you hop a ride with my buddy and I, and we'll take you up…" the boy offered with a melting smile, "And then when we're done, we'll bring you back to your hunka'junk, and you can head out."

Grace blinked, "Oh… Daddy's car isn't junk, you know? It's actually pretty cool, we've had him since I was a baby, and I can't really imagine having any other truck or car… but, I guess a little while with some music couldn't hurt." She brushed her hair back again.

Tim noticed that her fingernails were painted green.

"Cool. So why don't you lock up, and head up?" he said, flashing that smile of his again.

_I think not_, thought Ironhide, _The kid's going nowhere but back into town, if I have anything to say about it._

Grace climbed back into the car, reaching for the keys. Blinking, she frowned.

_Am I really this short, or did the ignition get farther away?_ She wondered with a smirk. "Just a moment." She called over her shoulder.

Tim smiled a bit, watching the girl in her tight jeans.

_That human boy is staring at her so intently… if I didn't know any better, I'd swear…_

The door slammed shut as soon as Grace got inside. The engine revved louder than before, and the truck peeled off down the dirt road, passing the boys car with his buddy in it.

Grace sat up at the sudden movement and screamed. "What's going on!?" she gasped, reaching for the wheel, "Great! It really _is_ possessed!"


	3. Annoying

I just want to thank everyone for all the lovely reviews. I'm sorry about this chapter in advance, but I wanted to bring Ironhide... out, as it were. So Enjoy, and I'll post another part as soon as I can.

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1.3

"Oh my God, the truck's possessed," Grace repeated over and over again, as the black truck barreled down the dirt road and onto the highway. She scrambled into the drivers seat and struggled to grab the seatbelt, just as Ironhide took a sharp left turn onto another street.

Grabbing the steering wheel for support, Grace cried out in shock.

"It's possessed _and_ it's gonna kill me!" she whimpered, as she slid the seat belt into place. She kept a hold of the steering wheel with an iron grip.

_You told him you were going to the mall,_ Thought Ironhide with an inward smirk, _And that's where you're going. Not to that stupid place with that horny male._

The truck pulled into the mall parking lot, slowing down substantially, and pulled into a parking spot with a jolting stop.

Grace stared at the steering wheel and looked at her surroundings. "Ok…" she hesitated, trying to figure this out, "A possessed truck that likes to… shop?" she blinked, trying to gain her bearings.

_No way,_ she thought, _there's no way this is for real._

"Trucks just aren't able to drive on their own." Grace said aloud with a nervous laugh, "It's just against the laws of nature… or physics.. or _something_." She shook her head, "I'm dreaming. That's it. I must've bumped my head or something when I got into the truck to get my keys…"

Ironhide wanted to laugh at the girl. But he had to admit, she was taking this better than he thought most humans would.

Grace reached for the keys to shut the truck off, and it complied. She reached for her seatbelt, and it released, just like it was supposed to. Upond reaching for the door, Grace felt her hand steady.

"It was all just a hallucination." She laughed suddenly, "I wanted to go to the Brick, so I thought I was going, but I drove to the mall instead. Yeah." She opened the door, and slid out of the truck, reaching back in for her purse after a moment to steady herself.

"I'm lucky I didn't end up in an accident." She muttered, brushing her hair back with her hand. Locking the truck, Grace smiled.

"Just a weird hallucination." She repeated, walking towards the entrance of the mall.

But it still didn't sit right with her. _A hallucination about going to the Brick, seeing a guy, and my dads truck going postal on it's own? It's one hell of a dream, but not bloody likely. _

She laughed aloud again, and waved her hand, "No, There's no way that's possible." She laughed, and went about to do some shopping.

Still, she just couldn't get her mind off it. The GMC had seemed as though it'd had a mind of it's own.

Out in the parking lot, a familiar Camaro pulled into a parking space nearby. Upon parking, a young man, his wife, and their four year old son got out.

Sam Witwicky smiled, "Hey Bee," he said, "I think that's Ironhide."

The Camaro was empty of any person, but a hologram suddenly flickered to life. A young man, probably in his early thirties, with black hair and deep brown eyes looked over at the truck.

"Are you here with Commander Lennox?"

The empty truck made no response for a moment, before a man appeared, sitting on the bumper of the vehicle. His face was older than that of the Camaro's hologram, but his blue eyes flickered with mischievousness.

"Worse." He said with a smirk, "I'm here with his daughter."

"Oh! Mommy! The truck is like Bee!" the boy announced cheerfully, as he tugged on his mothers jeans, "Lookit! It talks!" he pointed.

Mikaela smiled, "Yes, I know." She patted her son on the head, and looked back at Sam.

"Grace is driving? Since when?" he asked, "And... you know. Does she _know_?"

The hologram made an expression that might have been a sneer, but Sam missed it. "No, she doesn't know, and… well..." he hesitated, "Lennox let her drive for the first time today."

Bumblebee laughed, "You sound please, friend." He was being sarcastic, but it was apparently missed by the fellow autobot.

Ironhide grumbled something inaudible to the humans, but Bumblebee didn't miss it.

He started to chuckle.

Sam felt as though he were being left out of the loop, "Huh?" he rubbed his head, "What's so funny?"

"Sam, I'm gonna go grab a cart, before our little monster starts creating havoc." Mikaela said with a smile. She kissed his cheek and took their son by the hand, leading him to the cart corral nearby.

Bumblebee shook his head, "I think he's just frustrated that commander Lennox hasn't told her about him yet."

"Grace is a nice kid, Ironhide. I'm sure that Lennox'll tell her as soon as he feels the time is right."

"Nice? She's a troublemaker." Ironhide smarted back, "He tells her not to do something, so she goes and does it as soon as he's gone!"

Sam shrugged, "Most kids are like that, man." Then he added carefully, "and besides, it can't be easy growing up in a military household. I know Lennox can be pretty strict about some pretty small things sometimes."

Ironhide looked back to the human, and the hologram of Bumblebee. "Some humans need rules. Especially _that_ one." He was referring to Grace again, but Sam shook his head.

"I'm just saying- Kids who grow up with more rules tend to be a little bit more, well…" he tried to think of the right word.

"Annoying." Finished Ironhide.

"I think Sam was thinking about 'rebellious'," said Bumblebee with a smile, "And besides, if she were that annoying, you wouldn't have let Lennox give her the keys."

"He's a sucker for that look she gives him. Human males are so weak against the faces the little girls can make…" Ironhide grumbled.

This elicited a laugh from Sam, "Yes. Yes we are."

"Uncle Sam!" Graces voice could be heard from the entry of the mall. She was standing with Mikaela and their son, waving.

Bumblebee looked at Sam and the hologram flickered off.

So did Ironhides.

Sam waved back, reaching down to pat Bumblebee on the hood, "We'll be back soon." He said lowly, and then walked off to say hello to Grace.


	4. Uncle Sam

Thanks again for all the kind reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!!

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Grace smiled at Nick, and patted his head. "You look just like your daddy," she said with a smile. 

The four year old laughed with delight, "Mommy says I _act_ like him too!"

Mikaela smiled and ruffled her sons hair gently, "That you do." She agreed.

Sam shook his head, "Yeah, well. He's a man! He should act like his father!" he said playfully, "Right kiddo?"

"Right!" the little boy responded, lifting his hands to his father to be carried.

Grace took the opportunity to grab a quick word with Mikaela, "Uh... hey, Aunt Mikaela? I... just wanna ask you a quick question." She fell back behind the boys as Sam put his son overhead and pretended to drop him.

Mikaela smiled, "Sure hon, what's up?"

Grace hesitated, "You ever… uh. Have a hallucination?" she asked carefully.

The dark-haired woman smiled and blinked in surprise, "What do you mean?" She wondered almost instantly is the young woman had seen Ironhide as a robot at last.

_God, I hope that's not it, _she thought, _I really don't want to be the one to explain it all to her!!_

Grace hesitated, "I thought I drove somewhere else, and wound up here." She said finally.

Mikaela blinked, having to re-run the question in her head. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to figure the question out.

"I- I thought I drove somewhere else, and then I had this… haha, this _insane_ dream that the truck drove me here on its own. Isn't that funny?" Grace laughed a bit. She was clutching her purse tightly, trying not to look any more insane than she already felt.

Mikaela felt her eyes widen. _Is... Is she saying that Ironhide just… up and drove her here?_

But so the girl wouldn't feel uncomfortable, she laughed, just a little, and patted the girl on the shoulder, "That's pretty out there, hon." She agreed, "But you know what? Maybe you just felt guilty for going to the other place and, you know, your mind played a trick on you."

_That's a hell of a trick,_ thought Grace, with little humor, _but maybe she's right. I mean, Dad did say _not_ to go there, and I did anyway… Maybe I _did_ feel guilty._ She chewed on a green nail thoughtfully.

Mikaela turned serious suddenly, "You didn't go driving out to that Brick place, did you?" she asked in a whisper.

Grace smiled weakly, her lips thin from the pressure of the smile, "Heh... maybe?"

Mikaela groaned, "You _know_ they don't like you being out there!"

'They'meaning both her father, and her 'uncle', the latter of whom turned around at the sound of Mikaela's concern. "What's the problem?" he asked, carrying Nick like a football. The little boy was struggling in his fathers grip and laughing manically.

Mikaela smiled, "Nothing, Sam." She reassured her concerned husband, "Don't worry, I've got it all under control."

Sam frowned, "Oh?"

"We're talking about… '_the monthly_'." Mikaela said with a hint of frustration.

Sam paled, "Ok, kiddo, time for the guys to do go some guy shopping."

"_Ice cream_!" cheered the little boy, still under his fathers arm.

"Yup Ice Cream." Sam chuckled, as they walked towards the food court.

Grace blushed, "Thanks Aunt Mikaela." She looked down at her feet, "I really appreciate it."

Mikaela sighed, "If your father finds out you were out there again, there won't be any saving from his wrath." She tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear, "Look- I know you like going out there for the party or two, but you calling home drunk before _really_ didn't help your situation any."

Grace felt appalled, "Oh my God, you _know_ about that?" She rubbed her face with her hand, "What'd he do? Tell _everyone_??"

The older woman laughed, "He had to make sure that we all knew to keep an eye out for you." She said gently, "You and Sarah are all he has. He just wants you to be safe." She patted the girl on the shoulder again, "And, I wouldn't worry too much about that hallucination of yours. Odds are, it was nothing."

Grace nodded gratefully, "Thanks Aunt Mikaela."

"No problem, hon." _Lennox is gonna _kill_ Ironhide. If he doesn't skin Grace alive first._

When Grace finally realized that it was almost time for her to go back and meet her father, she bade Sam, Nick, and Mikaela good-bye, and walked back out to the waiting truck.

Sighing, she unlocked the doors, and climbed inside. Upon starting the vehicle, Ironhide couldn't help but wonder why the human's demeanor had suddenly changed. He thought about the meeting with Sam and Mikaela, and couldn't help but wonder if they'd told her about him.

But she said nothing, as she adjusted the air conditioning, and drove out of the parking lot.

Much to Ironhides surprise, she left the radio off. She seemed to be in pretty deep thought about something, though it wasn't as though he could just come right out and ask what it was.

_Sam must have said something to line her up. Good boy._ He thought.

Driving into the lot to wait for her father, Grace slid over into the passenger seat, leaving the truck running. She didn't bother with the radio, but simply sat in silence for a few moments, before shutting her eyes to the sound of the steady engine.

_It's kinda funny, _she thought, _In my entire life, never has dad ever needed to check the engine, or the oil, or had to take the old thing into the shop… Most vehicles get to this age, they just stop working. Something goes wrong. But not this truck. Nope. Good ol' reliable truck._

"Good truck." She muttered, patting the seat with a bit of humor.

_Good truck? As in 'Good doggie, you get a bone' or just 'Good truck, you're a good truck'?? _Ironhide wondered, trying not to be peeved at such an insinuation.

The sound of her father opening the drivers' side door made Grace open her eyes, "Hey Daddy. How was the meeting?" she smiled at him.

"Where'd you go?" he asked, seeing the sudden super-innocence on her face.

"The mall."

"Really?"

Grace rolled her eyes, "Really, Daddy. I even saw Uncle Sam and Aunt Mikaela."

Will(1) Lennox looked at his daughter, taking apart her face to see if she was lying. But as far as he could tell, she really _had_ run into the Witwicky family. But she had that tone in her voice and that glint in her eye that always gave away that she'd done something bad. It had always been like that, ever since she learned how to pull DVDs off the shelves in the living room.

"Ok, then," Lennox looked over at the rearview mirror, and then back to his daughter, "Let's get going home."

_**(1)I just want to make a quick thanks to **_**bug-eyed earl**_** for giving some help out. I'd forgotten that Sarah had called Commander Lennox Will at the start of the movie, and that'll be proper from here on out. But also, apparently the baby's name in the novel was Annabelle. However… most of us have middle names (I **_**never**_** use my first name.. EVER.), I'm going to use Grace as her middle name. I'll continue calling her Grace through the story. Sorry about the weirdness. **_


	5. Trusting You

Yeah- so I have to tell ya'll that I'm overwhelmed by the response for this story. I haven't written a fanfiction piece in nearly two years, so the reaction from you guys has really made me want to complete this story.

You just made a 24 year old mom very happy. :) Cookies for all.

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The funny thing about being a robot in disguise was that you learned a lot more things than you _ever_ wanted to know about humans. 

Or at least, this was what Ironhide figured, as he listened to Grace talk to some other human female on her cell phone. She balanced it expertly between ear and shoulder, as she rubbed baby lotion between her fingers and applied it generously to her arms.

Despite the fact that there was little to no sunshine in the early evening heat, she was still wearing her sunglasses.

"No, no." she said again, "I'm just saying that the guy is supposed to be _dating_ Lydie, and instead, he ditches her to go _bowling_? Sounds more like he ditched her to go check the local chicks to me."

Ironhide wondered how much more of this 'girl talk' he was going to need to endure before Lennox came out and saved him.

Nearly an hour and a half she'd been sitting out in the front yard, cross legged in the grass, talking with another human female- Andrea- about another human female named Lydie's love life. Or lack thereof.

In ninety minutes, he'd learned the names of nearly ever despicable male in the high school Grace went to, among other more colorful things about most of them. He'd also learned that 'pink is _not_ for everyone', the school mascot was 'still in the closet' and the girls locker room apparently smelled of fish.

He made a mental note to never let Lennox's daughter take him on any of her dates, especially not if even _half_ the males were the way she described.

He'd be _forced_ to use his cannons on them. There just wouldn't be any way around it. The first time one of these disgusting males laid a hand on the girl, he'd _have_ to transform, scare the piss out of them, and shove a cannon right in their face!

_Why would Lennox even _consider_ letting her go on a date with these creatures? They seem so foul from the way she's talking about them!_ He felt numb though; as he listened to Grace continue talking about her own latest crush.

"I know he's a bit of a dork, but I mean, he's sweet, right?" she paused, listening to the other female, "Oh come on, he doesn't look _that_ bad!" She made a face at the phone, "That creep? Do you have any idea what he does to girls like you?" she asked.

Ironhide wondered what she meant by that statement. Weren't most human females the same?

Will came out of the house, and called to his daughter about supper.

Ironhide thanked whatever God was listening at the time. He didn't know how much more of the nonsensical chattering he could handle!

Grace said goodbye to her friend, and went inside, walking past her dad, kissing him on the cheek.

And then Lennox did the worst thing Ironhide could think of at the moment. He walked out to the truck, and patted the hood.

"Grace is going out with friends tonight." He said.

The hologram flickered to life, the older man looking at Lennox as though he'd just been sentenced to death. "You're not going to let her take me…" he said in a flat tone.

"Do you see any _other_ family vehicles?" Will asked his friend gently.

Ironhide grunted, "You can't be serious."

The human man smiled, "It'll be fine. It's just some girls, and I know all of them." He reassured the Autobot gently, "It's not like she's going to have a bunch of guys with her." He frowned suddenly, "At least, that had better _not_ be the plan." Sighing, Lennox rubbed his temple, "But knowing my darling daughter, she'll be headed for the Brick." He said.

Ironhide pursed his lips in thought, "If you like, that can be prevented."

Sighing, Will shook his head, "No,"he said after a moment, "It's alright. I trust you with her," putting both his hands on the hood of the truck, he leaned against it, "The fact of the matter is, Gracie'll go whether I want her to or not. And… well, I'd rather her be with you, friend, than on her own."

Ironhide couldn't help but smile a little bit. He knew that the human father was being honest. They trusted each other with their protection, and now, Lennox trusted him with even more- the protection of his only daughter.

He nodded. If he could have, he would have patted the human on the shoulder for reassurance, "I'll take very good care of her, Captain." He said. He couldn't help but feel just a little puffed in the ego.

Lennox shook his head, "You know, Ironhide, you can call me Will. I haven't been 'Captain' in years."

"Daddy! Mom says to get your butt in here if you want to eat!" Grace called out the living room window. She smiled at her father, and blinked at his companion, "Oh! Sorry Daddy, I didn't know you had company!" she apologized.

Lennox waved and smiled at his daughter, "I'll be in momentarily, Grace. Tell your mom I'm just having a quick talk with a friend."

Grace nodded, smiling, and did as she'd been told.

"She seems like a good child." Said Ironhide suddenly, "But she does seem to enjoy disobeying you. It seems like no punishment you put into place will deviate her from that."

Will shrugged, and chuckled, "She's a teenager, Ironhide. She's going to be like this. That doesn't mean I _approve_, it just means that I understand why she does it." He stood upright again, "The only thing I can do is encourage her to do the right thing, and make sure that she knows that for every action there is-"

"A consequence." Ironhide finished. He suddenly understood why Lennox didn't fight nut and bolt with his daughter about this club she liked to frequent.

"Right." Lennox smiled at his friend one more time, "And now, if I don't go in, the consequence will be lack of supper for me." He patted the hood one more time, "She'll probably be out after supper." He said, "Just be careful with her."

Ironhide snorted, "As though I could be any other way." He smarted, crossing his arms. His hologram disappeared

_Take care of her?_ He thought, _Of course I'll take care of her. I've been being fragile with her since I came to live with you and Sarah._ Ironhide fought the urge to rev his engine loudly, _Like you'd even have to ask._

* * *

_And for those of you who have been waiting- next chapter is gonna be fun. (Kat) _


	6. Friends

_I don't own transformers. And I _still_ don't know why I write a disclaimer. Nobody who writes fan fiction on this site actually owns any of the characters… and we all know it._

As predicted by her father earlier, Once supper was over and cleared away, out came Grace, practically bouncing from the front porch.

Wearing a fresh outfit, and come barely-there make-up, she looked all ready for a fun time with friends.

Getting into the drivers seat, Grace started the engine, and slid a CD into the player.

Much to Ironhide's surprise, something _other_ than jazz came pouring out. The high-wailing sounds of some teen idol female suddenly made him want to roll over and die.

_Just why would anyone want to listen to this… this…_ he couldn't find a word for it.

After ten minutes, Ironhide could take no more, and spat out the CD.

Blinking in surprise, Grace, eyes still on the road, reached down and slid the CD back in. It came back out, without ever playing the first lyric.

As she pulled up to a stoplight, she looked down at the player, and then checked the CD for scratches, before trying again.

Ironhide rumbled deeply in his engine, rejecting the horrid music a third time.

_I'm _not_ playing that sad excuse for noise!!_ He thought bitterly.

Grace sighed, obviously disappointed, "Well," she muttered, "That's what I get for burning CD's instead of buying them."

As the light turned green, she tossed the CD into her purse, and turned the radio on. The sounds of jazz came out, and she relaxed behind the wheel.

"Jazz it is." She said with a slight smile, as she pulled into her friends' driveway.

Two girls came out of the house, and waved excitedly.

_What do I look like? A bus?_

After those two girls, Grace picked up one other girl from the front of an apartment building.

The gaggle of teenaged girls laughed and wriggled about in the car, making the tough autobot almost want to laugh. They were like little wriggling worms in a can!

"Here, Gracie! Try this!" One of the girls pushed a CD into the player, and suddenly the sounds of a rock song came out. Grace let her friend turn up the music until Ironhide wondered if the teens would all go deaf.

"Did you hear who's playing at the Brick tonight?" asked one of the girls.

One of the other girls responded.

_How can they even _hear_ each other over that racket?_

"Who?" asked Grace, reaching for the volume knob.

"Forbes Youth." Answered one of the other girls, "You know, with those two hot guitarists?"

"Psht- Hell with the guitarists. Have you _seen_ that lead? Oh my _God_."

"Andrea, not all of us want guys who look like chicks." Said one of the girls with a laugh.

Andrea looked offended, and turned herself around in the front seat to look at the one who'd laughed at her. "Oh? Ok, so Beth, tell me- why is it then that _your_ ex-"

"Oh God!" the other two girls said in unison, "You're not _really_ going to get back into that are you?"

Grace laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of a well hidden brick building in the middle of nowhere. The building itself was plain as plain could be. No windows, and only two doors visible to the front.

There were enormous crowds of teens milling around the building, some of them sitting on the backs of their cars, legs dangling above the dirt lot.

_I'm dying, Great Matrix, I think I've gone to hell._

As Grace pulled into a parking spot, she suddenly said; "Oh- shit. Does anyone know who that guy is?" she asked, pointing to a familiar boy with jet-black hair.

"Sure, That's Tim Zimmerman. He's in my fourth period studies group." One of the two girls in the backseat climbed out, "Hot _and_ smart."

"Too bad he can't keep a girlfriend, eh, Dee?"

"Yup."

Grace felt her heart stop for a moment. _Ok, so I dreamed I drove up here, met with him, got invited into the club with him, and my dad's car went _postal_ on him!! This can't be real! I'm dreaming, and need to wake up!_

"Earth to Gracie…" Dee's sister waved her hand in front of her face, "Gracie? You ok?" her black eyes searched the blondes face for a sign of life.

"Oh.. _man_," Grace said suddenly, "I had the most… _insane_ dream about that guy…" she shook her head and smiled at the taller black girl, "I'm ok Cerise." She shook her head again and laughed.

_The same human male?_ Ironhide swept the vicinity with his sensors. Sure enough, the same biological signature came up as the time before. _I'd like to see him approach her now!_

Unfortunately for Ironhide, the male did notice Grace, and _did_ bother coming over to say hi.

"Hey there… Grace, was it?" he flashed that amazing smile at her; "You sped off so quickly the other day that I was worried that I'd frightened you off." He chuckled, "I see you got the old truck workin' again."

Grace smiled meekly, "Uh.. yeah." _Oh. Oh-oh-oh. It _wasn't_ a dream? Daddy's truck really _is_ possessed!_

Dee and Cerise both giggled, and said something about going to find some friends.

Beth looked to Andrea. She leaned over and whispered, "Isn't that the same guy that took your sister out and brought her back in tears?" she asked.

Andrea thought for along moment, and then nodded, "Yeah, I think it is."

_In _tears_? I _knew_ this male wasn't worth her time!_ Thought Ironhide bitterly_, I'll break his scrawny human spine if he even _thinks_ about making her cry._

"Should we warn her?"

Andrea reached out to take a hold of Grace's arm to pull her aside, but the girl had already started to walk towards the entrance of the club.

"Shit."

Beth looked worried, "We should go talk her away."

Andrea looked at her friend nervously, "It's better if we don't." she said carefully, "Besides, if anyone of _us_ can take care of themselves, it's definitely Gracie."

The two girls looked at each other. Beth was first to speak, "Um. Hey, look, Andrea, I know we don't always agree, but maybe-"

Andrea shook her head, "No, seriously. I think Gracie can hold her own. Besides, it's a public place. It's not as though he can do anything to her without her getting help from _someone_." She ran her fingers through her own boy-short red hair, and sighed, "I hope." She mumbled, as the two girls walked towards the club.

"We should keep an eye on her."

"Maybe."

_It must be pretty bad if they're _both_ worried about her. _Ironhide felt himself becoming worried about the girl. _She's so nice to everyone… that girl is going to end up getting hurt!_

_**I'm so sorry. I intended for Ironhide to reveal himself to Grace in this chapter, but things went so much slower than I anticipated... I'm sorry! **_


	7. Ironhide

**_La-de-da, I don't own them. And for all of you who have waited so patiently- the time has arrived!! _**

****

* * *

****

It was nearly two hours before Grace came out of the front door of the club. Tim had his arm around her shoulders, and was laughing with her about something.

Ironhide felt something deep in his spark, telling him that the boy wasn't just out here to laugh with Grace.

It only took one quick scan of the boys' bio-signature for the Autobot to figure out that he was a male in _heat_.

_Don't even think about it, punk._

"So, Gracie…" Tim smiled at the girl, as they walked to the truck, "Tell me somethin'. You got a boyfriend?" He reached up and pulled down Ironhides tailgate.

Grace laughed, "No, no." she smiled, her innocence radiating from her face, "Never have." She moved to hoist herself up into the bed of the truck, but Tim wrapped his hands around the girls waist and helped her up. He hoisted himself in next.

Grace laid in the bed of the truck and looked up at the tops of the trees above them. Stars glittered from far away in the dark, making the girl smile.

"When I was little, my dad used to take us camping," she said, "I'm scared of snakes, so he'd let me sleep in the truck bed. I'd have the whole thing to myself." Thinking back on fond memories, she added; "I always felt so safe up here."

_It's not like I would've let you get bitten by snakes._ Thought Ironhide, _And I'm not about to let you get hurt by this horny male._

Unfortunately, he wasn't about to have a choice.

"Snakes?" asked Tim, "Snakes aren't really as scary as the other things in the woods here." He smiled in the dark, leaning over Grace, who suddenly became uncomfortable.

Grace gulped softly in the darkness, "Oh? What's scarier than a snake?"

Tim smiled, and leaned in to kiss her, his lips brushing hers.

Ironhide felt the girls' muscles tense in the bed of the truck. She was uncomfortable, even if only minorly so. But he fought the urge to start the engine and scare the stupid male away.

Grace pushed Tim back, "Tim, I'm… really sorry, but I'm not comfortable with that. I hardly even know you!" she touched her lips where the kiss had been stolen. An unfamiliar hard lump formed in the back of her throat.

"Oh, come on, Gracie girl. I'm not gonna bite you…" Tim leaned back in again and laughed softly, "Unless you _want_ me to."

Gracie held her breath and turned her face away, pushing him off her again. She sat up abruptly, and slid off the truck. "I'm not interested. Get out of my truck." She demanded. She was becoming hostile, and Ironhide could hear it in her voice. He'd never heard her quite so tense before.

Tim shrugged, "Have it your way." He slid out of the bed, and walked closer to her, "I mean, I understand if you're not comfortable on cold, hard metal." Taking her by the shoulders, he gently pushed her to the packed dirt and grass behind the wheels of the truck, "The ground is a bit hard, but at least it's nice and warm." He said, sitting on top of the girls' hips.

The sound of her slap echoed through the lot and the woods. "Get off me! I said I'm- not- interested!" She kicked her legs underneath the boy, and struggled to get his weight off her body.

When he leaned in to kiss her again with another chuckle, she head-butted him. Hard.

The sound of cartilage crunching was gratifying as the boy rolled off her and onto the ground.

"You bitch!" he shouted, holding his nose.

Grace scrambled to her feet, and darted off into the woods. _Use the woods to your advantage. It's nighttime, and he can't see you all that well._ She was trying to remember defenses that her father had taught her in case of such an occurrence. _Always use the terrain to your advantage._

She dove behind a thicket of bushes, and listened for the boy who was stalking through the woods. His swearing and loud shouting for her gave away his position at all times.

Grace felt her heart pounding in her chest. She never thought she'd ever be in a situation that would call for her to think back on self-defense. She'd never _wanted_ to listen to her father when he was teaching her.

But suddenly she was glad that he'd been so adamant about it.

She realized that she was no longer able to hear the boy swearing. She strained her ears to listen for footsteps. She heard them about two seconds too late, as someone grabbed her shoulder-length blonde hair, and jerked her back.

The sound of Grace's scream was the last straw for Ironhide. He heard her scream again and again as he transformed. The whirling of gears and metal clicking into place wasn't loud enough to take attention away from the club.

He began tearing trees aside to get to where the girl was.

_If she's hurt Lennox is gonna kill me. But by Primus, That boy'll be wishing he'd never laid eyes on her._

Grace laid on the ground, struggling under the taller, stronger male, as she cried out again and again for help. He'd torn open her dress blouse, and had started to work on her jeans when the sudden cracking of timber caught his attention.

Grace opened her mouth to scream again, and he threw his hand over it.

"Shut _up_!" Tim demanded, "Just shut the hell _up!_"

"I think it's time you removed yourself, boy." A loud and intimidating voice suddenly thundered.

Grace looked up, away from Tim's face. The glow of blue optics stared down at the two of them on the ground. She struggled under the boy a little bit, as he looked up.

Tim stared at the giant of a creature with the glowing blue eyes.

_Haha! His heart just sped up twice its normal speed! He's frightened. Good._

"Did you not hear me, human?" he demanded, "I _said_, remove yourself from the girl." His cannon clicked into place, glowing threateningly at the boy at a very close range, "Now would be a good time."

Tim fell off Grace and crab scrambled backwards.

"Good. Now, get up." Ironhide was enjoying himself entirely too much.

The boy stammered, as he picked himself up off the ground and stepped back, stumbling.

"This is the part… where you run." Ironhide took a quick gesture forward, bringing the boy face to face with a cannon three times his size.

Screaming into the darkness, Tim ran.

Ironhide smirked. "Foolish human." He muttered, pleased with himself.

Taking a step back, he knelt down to Grace, "Are you alright, Grace?" he asked gently.

_Oh God._

Her voice got stuck in her throat. All she could manage were little squeaking sounds.

Ironhide powered down his cannons, and tried to smile comfortingly at the girl. Unfourtunatly, a smile from a robot only goes so far. And when the robot is about fifty feet tall, with two impressive cannons and looks like it could eat you for breakfast- well.

"AH!" the girl finally managed.

Ironhide blinked, "I'm not here to hurt you." He said, trying to assure the girl the best he could, "I've never had any desire to hurt you, Grace Lennox."

Grace stared, scrambling to cover her exposed body. She was covered in dirt and tears. There was a bit of blood on her back from where Tim had been so rough with her.

"You.. You know my name." she managed weakly.

Ironhide nodded, "Yes. I've known you since you were an infant."

"Am I hallucinating again?" Grace felt as though her grip on reality had slowly slipped until- Bam!- here she was, sitting with a giant robot.

"No. I'm very real."

"Oh God."

* * *

_**Yes! I finally did it! Yay! Want more funnies? Wait until next chapter.**_


	8. They're Everywhere

"I'm dreaming."

"We've already been through this, You're awake. Everything is fine." Ironhide was starting to wonder if the human had been frightened so badly that she was no longer able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

He was starting to become frustrated.

Grace sat on the ground looking up at the giant Ironhide. She smiled weakly. "I'm not feeling so good." She complained suddenly.

"You had a frightening experience. I would assume that it is common to not feel well once the fighting mode has shut down." Ironhide said, "All the same, I feel it would be better if we got you home."

Grace stared.

"We?" she blinked, and then laughed shortly, cynically, "_We_? My father would.. would…" she stammered. She didn't even know what to think.

"I don't know _what _he'd do."

The blue eyes staring down at Grace blinked, "Your father already knows me." He said calmly, "The only thing he might do is get angry at me for not coming to your aid before that human male got so far with you."

If Grace didn't know any better, she'd swear that the tone in the giant's voice was regret.

"My dad… He…" her voice caught again, "Daddy knows you?" It was as though all semblance of reality was crumbling out from under her grasp.

"It was over here!" shouted a voice. A familiar voice.

Grace trembled. "Its... Tim..." she whispered. Her voice cracked.

_She is still afraid of him!_ Thought Ironhide.

"I will not let him hurt you again." He assured her, "Come with me. We'll leave."

Grace laughed, though it came out as more of a snort, "Oh? Really. A fifty foot alien and I, just walk right on out?"

"I was thinking more like… driving."

Grace just stared, as the whirring of gears and metal began. Ironhide transformed back into the GMC truck that she was so familiar with. Grace stared. "Oh. You really… Oh. _Oh_." She blinked in surprise. The sudden sounds of footsteps and other people reached her ears.

The sound of the engine deepened as the passenger door opened for Grace.

"Well. Come on." She heard from within.

Without questioning what was happening, Grace got into the truck. Ironhide slammed the door shut behind her, and sped off. He drove past the small group of guys, including Tim, who was clutching his nose.

He shouted something as they drove by at top speed, and screamed some obscenity in reference to Grace.

Ironhide ignored him, and kept driving.

Sitting inside the 'living' truck, Grace tried to calm herself.

The truck was alive. The truck was _alive_!!

Reality slowly sank in, as Grace sank into the passenger seat. She clutched her torn blouse around herself.

Ironhide wasn't sure of what to do when Grace started to cry. He was pretty sure that he hadn't frightened her _that_ badly. If he had, then why would she have gotten in?

The hologram flickered on in the drivers seat. "Grace?"

Grace stared. Finally, she broke down and screamed.

The hologram flickered from the sudden onslaught of a high pitched wail. "Are you alright?" he stared at her.

She just kept screaming.

"Stop screaming!" Ironhide thundered his engine at her.

Grace stopped.

"My dad's gonna freak." She whimpered.

Ironhide sighed, frustrated with the girls naivety. "Captain Lennox already knows." He repeated.

"Daddy hasn't been 'Captain' in years." Grace corrected, tears rolled down her face.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "Not… bodily." She said softly.

"Why are you crying?"

Grace didn't want to answer. Her face flushed with humiliation. "I… didn't want that." She whispered, pulling her knees to her face, "I can't go home.." she murmured into her jeans.

Ironhide suddenly felt deeply sorry for the child. She'd always been such a trusting creature, and to have that trust so _violently _betrayed had to be heartbreaking to her.

"I will… take you to the Witwickys'." He said calmly. Mikaela would be the most logical person to calm the girl down.

Grace shook her head, "I don't think they'd get it." She muttered softly.

"I think they would understand more than you give them credit." Ironhide said, as he pulled off the main highway and onto a rural road.

Grace didn't say much else for a little while, before finally cracking a bit of a laugh, "You drove me to the mall."

Ironhide grunted a positive response.

"Because Daddy said not to go to the Brick."

"You should listen to your father more often." He turned off again onto another road, traveling deeper into nowhere.

Grace glared downwards, "I know. If I had, I wouldn't be in this situation."

Ironhide stopped in front of an attractive house in the middle of a cleared patch of woods. Sitting in front of the house was a familiar yellow camaro. The lights were all off.

Suddenly, something happened. The camaro began to shift, and form, the metal moving smoothly to form another robot.

Grace felt her voice catch.

"Get out. I will alert Sam to your presence." Ironhide said calmly.

Grace did as she was told. No more than her feet had touched the ground, then the truck slipped away, and the autobot Ironhide stood behind her.

"Oh, dear sweet _God_." She said, not for the first time, "Uncle Sam and Aunt Mikaela know too?"

Bumblebee smiled the best he could at the girl. His voice was gentle and quiet, "They were the first." He said.

"I need to sit down."

_Stupid boys, giant robots, transforming cars! Oh My!_ She thought with little humor.


	9. The Bed

"You went _where_?!" demanded Sam.

Mikaela hugged the girl closely to herself. "Sam!" she scolded, "She's just been through a horrible ordeal, and all you can think about is that... that... _stupid club_." She was angry. Just as much, if not more so than the older man, who was pacing the front lawn angrily.

"Uncle Sam," Grace began, and hugged the sweater around her shoulders that her aunt had lent her, "I know it's not someplace you and Daddy like me to be… but thanks to… to…" she looked up at Ironhide.

"Do you have a name?" she asked at last.

Ironhide looked down at the girl, his blue optics glowing in the night. "Of course I have a name." he replied, "You may call me Ironhide."

"He saved me." She said softly, "Tim… tried." He voice cracked again.

Bumblebee looked at Sam, "I'm going to find this kid myself and when I find him…" the human man started. His Autobot companion nodded in agreement.

"But... my dad…" Grace started.

"The human already saw me." Ironhide said with what Grace could only assume was a smirk, "I'm certain that if he saw Bumblebee as well, we'd never see or hear from him again."

Mikaela sighed, "You're not going to do it." She said firmly, "Do you _want_ people to come looking for you?" she asked. She narrowed her pretty brown eyes, and crossed her arms, leaning back against the porch.

The faint light from behind her buzzed.

Grace sighed, "Does anyone know what time it is?" she asked.

Mikaela checked over her shoulder. She could see the dim electronic light from the DVD player. "Not quite One," she said, "You should be going home."

Grace sighed, shivering at the thought of facing her father in the condition she was in. "Aunt Mikaela?" she asked, "Can I… can I borrow your phone?"

Mikaela nodded, opening the screen door to let the younger girl in. She looked up at Ironhide.

"Are you going to tell Lennox?" she asked calmly.

He heaved a sigh. "I will tell Captain Lennox when the time comes."

"Are you going to tell him that she _knows_ about you?" asked Sam. He was still angry. A quick bio-scan told Ironhide that the human man was still excitably angry over the whole thing.

"I don't think I'll need to. The child is so confused that she'll probably tell him long before I ever get to it." He snorted, "IF she had just obeyed in the first place, this mess could have been avoided."

"Well, Thank God you were there." Said Mikaela, as Grace came back out of the screen door.

"Daddy's pissed." She said calmly. "I… told him I'd be staying with a friend."

Sam gaped, "_What_?!" He stalked towards the girl, who was calmly buttoning the sweater up, "Why? Why didn't you just say you were going home?!" he demanded, "Where do you plan on staying? Hm? With those _stupid_ girls you hang out with?!"

Grace blinked and looked at her 'Uncle'. "I was going to ask if I could stay the night here." She said calmly.

Mikaela smiled, "Of course, honey." She said, taking the girl by the shoulder, "Come with me."

"_Mikaela!_" Sam protested, "She needs to go home! She needs to tell her father what happened so they can _do_ something!"

Grace sighed; she walked up to her uncle. Tiptoeing, she kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks Uncie Sam." She said sweetly, before retreating into the house with her 'Aunt'.

Bumblebee made a chuckle, followed by: _"Cruising down the main street,  
How can anyone have such little defense? You're soft."_

Sam stared at his companion, "Traitor!"

Ironhide shook his head, "I'll never understand the weakness with human males and their females."

"Arg!" Sam stormed into the house. He sighed. He was a sucker for Mikaela, and it was true. And the fact that Grace was just so sweet made him weak to her too. It was a real shame, because all he _really_ wanted to do that that moment in time was disembowel that boy.

Grace looked out the window from the guest bed that had been offered to her. She was half asleep, but not enough for her brain to stop re-running the events of the day.

She curled into a ball. No matter how much she reminded herself that she was safe here in the home of the Witwicky's, she just couldn't make herself feel comforted.

Sitting up in the bed, she brushed the sheets from her legs, and opened the window. Below the room, she could see her father's truck sitting in the drive. The yellow camaro sat in the drive.

It was as though everything were simply a bad dream.

Daring to sneak down the stairs, past Sam and Mikaela's room, past Nicks room, Grace snuck down into the driveway with only a pillow.

Looking around to make sure that she woke no-one, Grace decided to test her theory as to whether or not it had all been one long nightmare.

"Ironhide?"

The truck shuddered, but did not transform, "Are you alright, Grace?" a concerned voice querried.

"Of course I'm ok!" Grace said a little quickly, "I… was just wondering if you… wanted… some company. That's all." She smiled meekly.

Ironhide almost laughed at her. "I'm alright." He said, carefully skirting the idea that she wanted to dump girl talk on him.

He felt her weight in his bed.

Neither of them said a word as she made herself comfortable.

She hadn't slept in the truck bed since she'd been a little child. It was a comfort to both her and her newfound guardian.

"There are no snakes in the house." Ironhide said.

"Don't be a jerk."


	10. Insinuations

**_I'm so sorry guys! It took a couple of messages to realise that I had posted the wrong draft of this chapter this morning! The one time I choose not to bother previewing- and poof! Wrong bit! Thanks for giving me the heads up! Also, it was pointed out that I gave Mikaela the wrong colour eyes. Sorry about that!(Kat)_**

* * *

Two weeks after the incident at the Brick, Grace finally found herself ungrounded. Although she felt she was too old for a good grounding, it was clear that her father felt otherwise. Two weeks of no driving, no friends, no computer and no music; it was enough- she felt- to drive anyone insane. 

But, here she was, out in the sun, finally free again.

As she sat out on the front porch, deep in thought over the events of the fourteen days prior, she listened to the music coming from the radio. There was ice cream melting in her hand.

Turning her attention to the scene before her, Grace tried not to think about the truck in the drive.

Her mother was washing said truck.

_Well, no,_ she thought, _She's washing the giant robot._ She almost wanted to laugh at herself for even thinking it.

"Does he like that?" she asked at last.

Sarah Lennox laughed, "I suppose so. I've never heard him complain about it."

Ironhides hologram came to life. He was sitting on the bed-rim of the truck. "I don't complain because it's not a bad experience." He said calmly, ignoring the suds that went right through him as Sarah Lennox continued to work.

Grace shook her head, "I'll never be used to that." She mumbled, as she took another bite of ice-cream.

"I'd transform, but I believe that the humans in your neighborhood might become alarmed, or possibly hostile." He looked slightly amused, "Not that I would be unable to defend, but it would be... Ill advised." He suddenly added as an afterthught; "However, there are certain _cretins,_ here, that I wouldn't mind eradicating."

He was referring to the college boys that lived in the house across the street. The stupid ones that screamed and hollered at all hours of the night.

_Well, _thought Grace, _They did, until Daddy scared the piss out of them._ She smirked at the memory of her father storming over at three in the morning once. He'd threatened each and every one of them with citizens arrest for disturbing the peace.

When they wanted to fight back- well.

There was a _reason_ that William Lennox had been made a Captain in this thirties.

The college boys no longer partied _as_ loud in the wee hours of the morning.

Grace shook her head, "Wouldn't that be murder?" she asked calmly, "I mean, really. How do the courts charge aliens these days anyway?"

"Optimus Prime would never allow me to get away with it." Ironhide said with little humor, "We are not permitted to harm humans."

Well, at least now she knew why he hadn't killed Tim.

_Shame,_ she thought, _He deserved it._

"I don't get it. You listen to this 'Optimus Prime' guy. You listen to my Dad. You listen to my _mom_, but _I_ suggest midnight ice cream, and you totally ditch me?" She snorted, referring to the night before, "I see where _I_ rank in this family."

"Shit rolls downhill, kiddo." Her dad patted her on the head on his way out of the house.

"But daddy! It was just ice cream!"

Her father laughed at her, "I hear you." He said, "And I don't _care_. You were stillgrounded. Thankfully, Ironhide has more sense than to listen to you at one in the morning."

Ironhide smirked, "Besides. If you eat too much of that sugary iced-cream, you'll become unhealthy." He said, jibbing her gently, "You eat so much of these… junkie foods, it's a wonder you haven't become that way already!"

"Next time, I'm gonna rub you down with sandpaper instead of helping mom wash you." Grace snorted, licking ice cream from her wrist.

"Help?" Sarah Lennox laughed, "I think I'm the one doing all the work here!" she protested, as her husband put his arms around her waist.

Grace pointed to the melting ice cream in her hand, "Soapy water, wax and ice cream just _don't_ mix, mom." She explained.

"Well, finish up and get the cab." Her mom said, as Will took the hose from her.

"Got it covered, Mom." Grace stood up, swallowing another bite of ice cream, just as her father turned the hose on her.

She screamed. "_Daddy!_" She had been wearing an overwised t-shirt over her bathingsuit to keep from getting sunburnt- it now clung to her, showing the faint outlines of a not-so-modest two piece.

He laughed at her. Her mother smiled, and threw a sponge in her direction. "Here. Get to it."

"You ruined my ice cream!" Grace whined playfully. There had only been a bite or two left anyway. She discarded the wet mess onto the sidewalk for the time being.

Her father laughed again.

Ironhide shook. The truck trembled in the driveway, just enough to cause the setting water in the bed to splash to the ground. Grace wondered if that was his way of laughing at her.

Grace smiled, taking the sponge as she climbed up into the bed of the black truck. She started to rub down the windows and the roof. Ironhide watched her carefully, the hologram grinning, amost stupidly.

"You are wearing too little." He said suddenly, "I see no shorts."

"It's a bathing suit, metal-head." She said calmly, "There are no shorts."

"I'm going in to get dried off." Her mother said, wringing the water from her hair, "You think you two will be alright out here?" she was actually asking Will and Grace, but Ironhide replied, "We'll be alright, so long as Grace goes back to where she just was rubbing."

Grace suddenly stopped what she was doing, and jerked back, "Oh God. That sounded so… so _wrong._"

Ironhide blinked, "I don't understand what was wrong with it." He said calmly.

Will started to laugh, "Gracie, They feel everything, just like us." He explained calmly, "It's like giving a bath, or a massage to them."

"I'm_ massaging_ a giant robot?" Grace squeaked, dropping her sponge. "How many ways to _wrong _do you see here, Daddy?" she demanded.

"I don't understand what's wrong, or even what _seems_ wrong with this situation." Ironhide replied, "It's nice to be clean every now and again. I know _you_ enjoy baths and showers. You take two a day!"

"I didn't know you could _feel_ all this!" Grace suddenly argued, "And I bath myself, thank you _very _much! I don't see _you_ doing that." She was starting to get out of the truck bed, when the truck shuddered again.

Ironhide looked at her, confused, "You're mistaking something from nothing," he said, "Because I don't even understand what you feel so uncomfortable with."

"You can _feel_ it!" grace argued, "It's like… you know..." she couldn't say the word. It was there, on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say it. Did robots even _have_ an idea what it meant to be sexual?

She didn't want to ask, and she _didn't_ want to know.

"Of course. Just like you can feel it when someone touches you." He replied.

Will couldn't contain his laughter, "I was about to head down to the Thorndikes'," he said, "Your mother was thinking about going camping next weekend."

Grace's attention –diverted from Ironhide for just a moment- went to her father, "Why them? They only camp at that place out west, its not like they'll come with." She said. Grace didn't bother mentioning that she was wanting to see what Ironhide looked like as a robot again.

"Your mother wants to borrow their tent, since ours was more or less destroyed from the _last_ trip we took." He explained calmly. Then he smiled, "Why? Are you worried about Jason coming?" Jason was their fifteen year old son. He wasn't a bad kid, but Grace was certain that he was secretly obsessed with her.

The last time her father had arranged for the two families to get together, the boy had done nothing but take photographs. _Of her ass._

Grace glared at her father. "Daddy…" she warned.

He laughed, and walked off, "It's fine, Gracie. I'm just asking to borrow the tent, nothing more." He called back.

Grace sighed, forgetting all about the conversation with Ironhide. She picked up the sponge she'd been working with and went back to rubbing down the cab of the truck.

"Can you go back to the spot you were rubbing before?"

Grace threw down the sponge again, "This is _so_ wrong!"


	11. S'mores

Ah, the great outdoors! The sounds of the creek running, the smell of the fresh mountain air, the birds chirping and the cicadas buzzing…

Oh. And the two giant robots sitting right in the middle of camp.

Grace laid in the dirt beneath a pine tree. The Sierra Nevada Mountains were actually quite beautiful, and quite comfortable this time of year, despite the unrelenting heat in the valleys below. The temperatures here rarely ever got hotter than seventy-five degrees. And having a father who was in a higher rank of the military than some of the park rangers had even _heard_ of made it easy to get a prime campground.

Which was nice, because both Ironhide and Bumblebee enjoyed stretching their legs in the sensational landscape.

Grace sat up a little bit, as Bumblebee began to play a familiar –albeit old- tune.

"_Country roads, take me home- to the place I belong…"_

Ironhide looked over at his friend. He smirked, "It is quite nice." He agreed.

Sam helped Will put together a pit of stones. They'd been to this particular site, time and time again. The two families would enjoy the light of the fire, and the cool mountain air until the sky would fade into crystal clear stars above them.

But the one thing Grace lived for was her mothers specialty.

"S'mores!" Her mother hauled a cloth bag from inside the tent that she and her husband would share later.

Grace smiled, "Yes!"

"You ingest the strangest things." Ironhide said calmly, "I don't know how you process it all."

Snorting, Grace rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't get it. What do robots eat anyway?" she asked calmly, as she crawled towards her mother, and stuck her hand in the bag to grab a Hershey bar.

"We Autobots prefer energon." He said calmly, "Although, from time to time…" he trailed off as Bumblebee interjected with;

"_Think it's time I got stinking drunk, think it's time you shut up! Go! Get drunk, get drunk, get drunk, get drunk, get drunk, get-"_

"Bee, I think we get the idea." Mikaela said with a laugh, as Nick ran in circles with his newest toy, a toy helicopter. The little flying helicopter crashed into Bumblebees leg.

Grace began to laugh, unable to control herself. "You guys get _drunk_?" she snorted, as she started to un-wrap the chocolate bar. Her mother reached over and took it from her daughters' hands. "Not yet. Your dad has to get the fire going." She said calmly.

"That's freakin' amazing. You get drunk." She snickered, covering her mouth as she made a squeaky snort, "Drunk Ironhide. The hard ass goes soft."

"_Language_." Warned her father. He looked to Sam, who piled the last of the rocks and wood into place, before striking a match, holding to some old paper, and tossing it in.

The fire started crackling in no time, with some help from Will, who prodded it with a large stick.

Mikaela smiled at Nick as he climbed up into Bumblebees hand. "Be careful, honey." She called.

Bumblebee looked down at the protective mother. He smiled, his optics bright against the shadows of his face.

"He will be… alright with me, Mikaela." He said calmly. His voice was soft, but calm and soothing.

Grace smiled. "This is so cool, though." She had to admit, "I mean, how many people have friends like you guys?"

Ironhide looked down at the blonde. "Four." He said simply.

"Four?" she asked.

He nodded, "Yes. Optimus Prime may join us at a later time." He said calmly, "However, I understand Ratchet has been busy trying to- _what_ are you doing?" Grace had started to climb up on his leg.

"I'm sitting up here with you." She said calmly, "Since dad's decided that he's gonna play with the fire."

"I've only ever done that once!" her father protested.

"I figure you can't be flammable. You're metal. I'm probably safer up here than down there with Daddy."

Sam started to laugh, though he was trying to hide it.

"I'm not flammable." Ironhide assured her, "But I doubt your father is going to set another tent on fire."

Saying it out loud was enough to send both mothers into gales of laughter. Sam sniggered.

But William Lennox stared at the rest with a gaze of disbelief. "It wasn't _intentional_!" he sputtered, "You all take things way too seriously!"

"Seriously?" chuckled Sam, "How can we take it seriously? How can _anyone_ take you seriously when you're not in uniform, Lennox?" he asked, pointing to the loud shirt the older man was wearing.

"Hey! It's comfortable." Lennox looked down at his shirt, "Besides, this is camping, not a beauty contest!"

Grace snorted from her position on Ironhides lap. He looked down at the girl.

Over the past few weeks, she'd slowly become more and more comfortable around him. She had begun referring to him by his name, and had, more than once, snuck outside in the late hours, and sat in the bed of the transformed autobot. She didn't go to sleep, but instead, simply sat there, quietly enjoying his company.

He couldn't say that he didn't enjoy the company that she provided. On the contrary. He enjoyed her quiet company quite a bit. Lennox had never simply sat with him, and most of the conversations that they'd endured over so long, had been over weaponry and battle tactics. Not that they'd never endured personal talks, but Ironhide figured that male to male talk on earth was the same as male to male talk on Cybertron.

Butt heads, talk tough, and forget the soft stuff. It doesn't exist.

He felt Graces hand suddenly brush the metal of his leg.

"I'm done!" Will said. Sarah smiled at him, stroking his head lovingly. The fire was blazing now, and despite the slight chill in the air, things seemed to be perfect.

Grace didn't bother moving. She was comfortable. Ironhide didn't bother asking her to move.

The sky grew darker. Soon, a rumbling alerted all in the site that someone _large _was on the way. Grace felt her grip tighten on Ironhide.

"Optimus Prime." He said calmly.

"Yay! It's Optimus!" shouted Nick gleefully. He stood in Bumblebee's hand with his toy helicopter, "Yay!" he shouted again.

Bumblebee looked up, and sure enough, the largest of the autobots came into the clearing, his long metal appendages making way through the trees.

Grace felt her stomach turn. "Oh man. You guys are all so big!" she said calmly, "No wonder you have to disguise yourselves as automobiles." She shook her head in disbelief.

Optimus Prime looked down at the only child of Will and Sarah Lennox. His face twisted into what Grace had slowly come to learn was a smile.

"She has learned of us." He said calmly, sitting down on the edge of the campsite- the one that was a sudden drop off of about a hundred feet or so. He didn't seem to be bothered by the idea of falling.

_She seems to be comfortable around Ironhide and Bumblebee._ Optimus thought, _That's good._

"Wow. This is amazing." Grace said again, "I can't believe this."

"Believe it." Said Sam, "Because there are days when the coolness wears off, and you're stuck with-"

"We haven't seen any of them in years." Said Mikaela suddenly.

Will nodded carefully.

"Seen who?" asked Grace.

"Decepticons." Said Optimus Prime suddenly, "Do not be fooled, Mikaela Witwicky. They are still out there, waiting for us."

The camp suddenly fell uncomfortably quiet.

Nick suddenly began to whine, "Bee! Don't let them get me!" he said suddenly. The yellow and black autobot shook his head, "You will be safe with me." He said calmly, "Nobody will ever harm you or your mother and father."

Ironhide did not say anything, as nothing needed to be said. The only one in the camp who has not come fact to face with a decepticon is Grace.

Nick had been in danger when he was an infant, however quick thinking from Bumblebee and Ratchet had saved the boy. Grace had been lucky, thus far.

_If a Decepticon showed up, I'd make quick work of him._ The Autobot thought, feeling a sudden surge of protectiveness, _There would be no need to worry._ Although Ironhide knew that at some point he would need to call on the help of his brothers.

Nobody got to think another single thought about the evil brothers, however, as Sarah suddenly exclaimed, "I think the fire's ready! Who wants a S'more?"

And suddenly the tension was broken, and the mood was light again.

_Human food can make any human happy no matter how serious the mood._ Thought Optimus, _For right now, it's good. I'll hold off the bad news… for now._


	12. Internet Chatter

When Grace had been a little girl, there had been a time that Ironhide had been almost positive that she had known he was sentient. There had been just that one time, as a child, that he had been prepared to tell Lennox that she was aware, and there-fore, ready to be told the truth.

When Grace had been nine, there was an accident involving one of her closest friends. The little girl had been playing with Grace in the road. They were roller-skating.

When one roller-skated in the neighborhood, most of the adults knew that it would take place in the middle of the street. There was seldom ever traffic that was ever anything but the mailman or anyone who lived there.

But just that one afternoon, all that had changed.

As Grace and her best friend ('Bestest friend!', she had called her) played in the street, Sarah Lennox had left it to Ironhide to watch them for 'just a moment', as she went inside to gather the laundry for pinning up on the line.

No sooner than she had opened the door, a sports car full of college teens came barreling through the little neighborhood.

Annabelle Grace Lennox was in the middle of that street with her friend. Neither of them really had time to get out of the way- Ironhide did the only thing he could without revealing himself. He reversed himself out of the drive, and parked right in front of Grace and her friend.

Had the college kids in the car stopped, or even slowed, things would have been alright at that. But they didn't. They ran right into Ironhide, surprising him with their speed, and causing him to slide just a few feet.

Just far enough to crush the other little girls legs under his rear tire.

Both children were alive- which was good. But the little girl who had been playing with Grace lost the use of her left leg completely. She never spoke to Grace again, and it broke the poor girls' heart.

But weeks after she learned that her 'Bestest Friend' would never be able to use her leg again, Grace crawled into the cab of the truck. She sat there for a long time, quiet in the late fall chill.

"You saved us." She whispered, and stroked the leather of the dashboard with small fingers, "So…I forgive you." Her tiny digits had been wet with tears.

Nothing had ever caused Ironhides spark to ache so badly as to hear those words come from the little girls mouth. She never said anything after that to him.

"Ironhide?"

The sentient mech blinked suddenly, realizing that it had been a very long time since he had fallen asleep in his natural state. The silence of camp was nearly deafening.

Grace was asleep, her small body near his foot.

It had been Optimus Prime that had awakened him from his dream.

"Ironhide, we must find a place to speak."

Ironhide looked around. The humans were all asleep. He nodded, noting that Bumblebee was awake as well. As he stood up, he balanced his weight so that he would not wake his sleeping charge.

She didn't move as the three Autobots traveled deeper into the mountain woods together.

"What is the problem?" Bumblebee asked. Even being the youngest, smallest of the group, he always had a head up on when Optimus Prime was going to break bad news.

The tallest of the three of them heaved a large, metallic sigh, "There has been much… activity on the world wide web recently. Much activity involving the Witwicky and Lennox families." He seemed to hesitate, "Upon further investigation, I have discovered that there is a small group of humans that have traced the activity from the past to our friends."

Ironhide frowned, "Humans? Then what's the problem? Most humans are stupid- harmless at most."

The Autobot leader nodded, thinking for a moment, "I believe that they may have also traced the kind of energy from the All-Spark. They are trying to find us, though I do not know if it is for good or ill purpose."

"Then let them come!" said Ironhide with a smirk, "It's about time some of these creatures brightened up to their not being alone."

Bumblebee nodded in agreement, "I agree. It would be enjoyable to relax around Sam and his family."

Optimus nodded, "I agree with you," he said, "However, humans can be... tricky. Decietful. Some of them come bearing gifts, when they are really nothing more than weapons." He'd been reading a lot of historical websites, "We cannot risk putting the lives of our charges in danger."

Bumblebee picked up on it first.

"Our?" he asked, "You have been discovered?"

Optimus Prime hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes. There is a human female- her name is Liz. She has… put the pieces together gradually." He shook his head, "But neither her name, nor the names of Ratchets' charge have come up in anything that I have read."

"Do you think that the Decepticons will use this internet activity to their advantage?" asked Ironhide.

Optimus Prime nodded solemnly. "Yes. They will be monitoring as many networks as they possibly can. If they were to find out the address to the Witwickys'…"

Bumblebee became very serious, "Nick would be in danger." He said suddenly, "Sam and Mikaela as well, but they would go after Nick first."

Ironhide had it figured out. The same would happen with Grace if they found out the location of the Lennox's as well. She would be the first target- she was her mother and fathers weakness.

_And to some extent, _he thought,_ Mine as well_.

The sudden sound of footsteps alerted Ironhide. He spun around, his cannons ready for fire-

Nick looked up at him with big eyes, and suddenly began to cry. "I had a nightmare!!" he wailed, his four year old face scrunched up in a fit.

Suddenly feeling quite the aft, Ironhide powered down the cannons, and let Bumblebee take up his youngest family member gently.

"It's alright…" Bumblebee whispered to the boy, looking back at Optimus, who nodded him permission to leave. The yellow Autobot took Nick back towards camp, trying to soothe his crocodile tears.

Optimus Prime looked to his Security and weapons officer. "Ironhide, now that Grace knows- it is best to keep her informed only of as much as her parents are willing. She is no soldier, like her father."

Ironhide nodded, "Yes, sir." He said calmly.

"She is a good child."

"She's a pain in my aft." Ironhide grumped suddenly.

Optimus Prime watched his comrade with a curious glint to his features, "Oh?"

"If I hear one more thing about the males she goes to school with, I'll blow a circuit." He said sourly, "And I don't even know what a period is, but I know I never want to be around her when she says she's got it."

"You should look it up-" started Optimus.

"No!" Ironhide said suddenly, "I don't _want_ to know!" He groused suddenly, touching his face, as though he were going to rub it, "Human female younglings are the most confusing, irritating creatures I have ever had to deal with!"

"And?"

He shrugged, "She's good." He finally agreed, "And yours?"

Optimus Prime wanted to laugh, but knew better than to do so in front of his friend. "Liz is… unique… for a human female." He said at last, "But good. She is good."

"Good."


	13. Just a Drive

Explaining to Lennox and his wife wasn't so bad, Ironhide decided, But keeping _anything_ away from a sixteen year old girl?

_Not. Possible_, He also decided.

However, Grace seemed fairly oblivious to the sudden cautiousness of her mother and father, even as they told her that they were considering going to the Ranch for the long summer ahead.

"Wow, really?" she asked in surprise, "We're gonna spend _all_ summer out there?" she seems fairly pleased about the situation.

Her father smiled absently, "You'll survive without the cell phone and the internet, right?"

Grace laughed, "I love it out there!" she said happily, "I think I'll manage a while without internet or cell phone." Even though, secretly, she knew that within ten days she'd be begging for home.

She didn't want to admit that the reason that she was looking forward to going out to the ranch simply because it meant that she would get to see Ironhide in his true form more frequently.

Admittedly, she finds him intriguing. His armored, metal body is interesting is a strange sort of way. She's interested in finding out what he can do other than simply turning into a 16 year old black GMC truck. Thinking back to when she was a child, she remembers things that make her wonder if he is as powerful as he looks.

When her father had been renovating the Ranch, years and years ago, he had taken Ironhide (as a truck, of course) to the hardware store and loaded him up with _tons_ of building material.

The guys who unloaded the truck couldn't figure out just _how_ Lennox had managed to get so much weight into the truck without destroying it.

Grace couldn't help but wonder just how strong a super intelligent robot was. _Not_ that she was about to ask him outright. There was no way that was going to happen!

The night before they left, Grace decided to go 'out and about'. Or at least, that was what she had told her father. Once in the truck, Ironhide couldn't help but demand;

"You aren't going back to that…_ place_ are you?"

Grace laughed, "No!" she said, "Although, I hear that one of my favorite jazz musicians is up next week. Shame I'll miss 'im." She only seemed semi-unhappy about missing said musician, "But I did want to go see Andrea before I go- just so that she knows I'm not being kidnapped or anything."

"As if I'd ever let that happen," mused Ironhide, his hologram flickering to life in the passenger seat.

"Aw, you're just so protective!" smiled Grace. She was actually teasing him, but she suddenly realized, upon saying such a thing, that Ironhide really _had been_ quite protective since the night she'd had the incident with Tim. She suddenly blushed deeply.

Ironhide noted this, but said nothing about it. He'd learned that asking a female teen _anything_ could result in tears, screaming or mental anguish. The mental anguish, unfortunately, would only be on his part. Grace seemingly understood and had a reason behind every irrational thing she'd ever done.

It was downright creepy.

As they pulled into the driveway of her friend, Ironhide noted the bio-signatures of not one, but _two_ unfamiliar males. These were not Andreas' brothers. "There are unfamiliar males in the house." He said calmly, "The pheromone levels are quite high."

"I'll be fine, Ironhide." Grace assured him gently, "If anything happens, I'll come to you, ok? You can protect me, right?"

"From a couple of human adolescents?" he almost snorted at her, "Right."

Grace smiled at him, patting the steering wheel gently. He noticed that her bio-signals picked up a notch. Her heartbeat intensified, and her blood pressure raised.

She was nervous.

He blinked in concern, as she slipped out of the truck, shutting the door behind her. He noticed that she did not lock the doors, as she usually did. But he could not tell if this was because she knew that nobody would be able to steal him, or if she wanted to be sure she could get a fast get away.

When Grace knocked on the door, she was greeted by one of the two young men that Ironhide had noted. He didn't seem hostile, but the Autobot knew that this could change pretty quickly.

However, after twenty minutes, Grace came out with a smile on her face. They hadn't bothered her, it seemed. Ironhide allowed himself to relax, though he hadn't realized that he had been otherwise.

When she got into the car, he peered at her in the darkness. Her natural body rhythms were back into place. "You were afraid."

Grace blinked, looking at her companion, "Not really." She lied.

Ironhide didn't argue. He started the car, purring the engine, and let her lead the way home.

Grace didn't go right home. She did pull off onto a secluded road, enjoying the cool wind coming through the windows as she drove. She yawned a bit.

"Why are we going this way?" he asked, "It is nearly ten minutes longer than the other way, and your body is preparing for stasis."

"I like the view." Grace said softly. She felt the steering wheel move under her fingers as Ironhide took over. "You don't have to, you know." She said.

Ironhide didn't answer. "You are happy that you're going to your family's ranch for the summer?" he asks, "I've noticed that you've put up no argument. Usually you are displeased with the idea."

Grace keeps her hands on the wheel, though she's no longer steering. "I… guess after all the weirdness over the past month… I'm kinda ready for some time out." She confessed.

"It was… a bad experience then?"

Grace pursed her lips together, "_That_ was a bad experience. But getting to meet you and Bumblebee and Optimus Prime… That was pretty sweet."

"Then- you are happy?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

Ironhide didn't answer. He simply took the next turn and finished driving home without another word.

_**I know the past couple of chapters have been slow, but once they're all out on the ranch, I promise more humor and more storyline. Thank ya'll so much for your kind and HELPFUL reviews!! (Kat)**_


	14. Thinking

The morning that the Lennox's were due to leave for the Ranch, Grace was first to wake. She got up, and washed, and then went outside.

She had been watching Ironhide for a long time before he said anything to her.

"Is something troubling you?" he asked, appearing at the side of the truck. The Hologram fluttered for a moment, wavering in reality.

"Not at all." She said, waving her hand, "I was just wondering if you slept." She said calmly.

"Of course I did." Said Ironhide matter-of-factly, "What made you think that I didn't?"

Grace blinked. Of course. Shouldn't it have been common sense? "I wasn't sure."

Ironhide shook his head, "Why are you up so early? Normally your mother has to _drag_ you from stasis… this morning, you seem very alert."

"Ah… just.." she hesitated. If robots sleep, then can they have nightmares? Suddenly, Grace laughed, "It's nothing. I just woke up early, that's all."

"Your bio-signs show you are lying. Badly, at that." Said Ironhide calmly. If something was troubling her, then he wanted to know what. Especially if she had an idea of why her father had suddenly decided that summer at the Ranch was best.

Grace stared at Ironhide, her mouth open to retaliate; She snapped it shut and sighed, "I just had… bad dreams. That's all." She said calmly, "And since when are you able to tell what I'm feeling?" she demanded, changing the subject.

"Since always," replied the hologram, "Though, I am no medic. Ratchet could probably tell you things about yourself that you didn't even know."

Grace scrunched up her face, "That's more than just a little disturbing, you know that, right?" she brushed back her hair with her hands, and pulled a band from her wrist, pulling it around her hair to form a pony-tail, "Definitely weird."

Ironhide shrugged, his face only changing slightly as he did so.

The paper boy, who had usually thrown the paper into the yard, called out Grace's name, waving as he rode his bike up into the driveway. He passed her the paper from his bike.

"Your dad left a note saying that you guys were leaving for the summer," he said, "But I figured that since you weren't going to leave until this morning, that I'd bring you one more." He blushed, "Andrea told me that you like to read the comics."

Grace blushed, "Um. Thanks Drew." She said, taking the paper. She smiled the best she could, "Tell your sister I said hi, ok?" The boy nodded, and rode off.

"He likes you."

"He's fourteen." Grace said, as she began to pull apart the paper, looking for the funnie-pages.

"I don't understand what difference that would make." Ironhide said, peering at the front page headline.

_Seventeen Dead in Mysterious West Coast Explosion_

Grace blinked, looking over at the blue eyed projection, "Oi- forget it. Explaining it would just fry your brain."

"I don't doubt it."

Grace fought the urge to hit the truck. Mostly because she didn't feel like nursing her own hand afterwards.

She leaned against the truck, opening the funny pages. "You think you're so smart…" she muttered.

Her father came out the front door, hauling two good sized duffle bags over one arm, and a suitcase in his free hand. "How about a little help, Gracie?" he asked.

She smiled, folding the paper, and putting it in the back of the truck for later reading. "Sure, Daddy." She grabbed the suitcase and hauled it over to the truck. Her father patted her head as he swung the other two bags into the back, "Come on. Your mother has one inside, and we still need to get your stuff." He smiled at Ironhide, "Good morning." He greeted.

Ironhide returned the well-wish with a nod.

By the time the family got on the road, it was nearly noon.

The newspaper, half-forgotten from that morning, was sitting in Grace's lap. She was reading the front page headline intently.

Her mother was singing along to the radio- some old country song that Grace had only heard as a child. Her father was more inclined to pay attention to the road, despite the fact that if he'd asked; Ironhide would have gladly taken over.

The ride, on its own, was uneventful. William and Sarah were both very pleased by this.

The ranch was bathed in early evening darkness when they arrived. Here, the trees were spread out in a thin layer across hills. The southern California heat was still, as always, permeating everything around.

But because the Ranch was so far from anything or anyone, Ironhide would be able to stretch his legs, without needlessly worrying about someone seeing him.

Which, to Grace, was good, because she wanted to learn more about him. The more she learned, the more she _wanted_ to learn- it was a vicious cycle.

She just hoped that he wouldn't get the wrong impression about her questions. She liked him- he was a _nice_ person-robot-type-being. Not particularly _sweet_, but nice. But she was beginning to become confused by the affection that she was starting to grow.

She wondered if it was ok to admire a robot- sentient as he was- the same way she admired her father or uncle.

_What about a big…um… _really_ big... brother?_ She thought, chewing her lip thoughtfully as her father demanded her attention to luggage_, I can see it now: Andrea, meet my fifty-odd foot tall brother-type person. Oh yeah, he's a robot from another planet. Sure. Right._

Which reminded her- she wanted to ask him how old he was. Just another question to add to her growing list.

She ran into his side mirror and gasped in sudden pain, dropping her own backpack and suitcase.

"Bugger! Bugger-_bugger_-bugger-bugger!!" she hissed, rubbing her elbow. She blinked back the pain, recognizing that it was only temporary after a moment.

"Are you alright?" His voice came from beside her, though there was no hologram this time.

"The arm is in tact," she said, "My pride is bruised."

As Will pulled the last bag from the back of Ironhide's bed, he began to transform, metal sliding and pushing this way and that, until he finally loomed over the three humans.

Sarah smiled up at him, "It must be nice to get to stretch out."

He nodded in agreement, "While I have no issue with being transformed, I _do_ always feel much better when I can come back into my own being." He admitted.

Grace looked up at him, blinking at the dark metal.

"I would hate to be cooped up like that all the time," she suddenly said, "I kinda feel bad for you, trucking us around all the time- no pun intended."

Ironhide was surprised at her sudden remark, but smiled (The best he could, anyhow) at the girl anyway. "I do not mind." He confessed, suddenly sitting down in front of the house, "Sometimes, it is… enjoyable."

Grace dragged her stuff into the house, and lugged it up the stairs to her room. There were no sheets on the bed, save the one thrown over to keep the dust off during the later months of the year.

She whipped it off, and opened her window, only partially surprised that she wasn't far from Ironhides face.

"Hi!" she waved at him, sliding the screen to one side so that she could lean out.

His optics focused on her. "Hello." He replied calmly. _If I don't ask why, then I don't have to worry about a confusing answer_, he thought, _but why she feels the need to greet me when she just saw me is beyond my comprehension._

"Grace!" her father called, "Stop hanging out the window and help your mother!"

"Sorry, Daddy!" Grace drew herself back inside, sliding the screen back into place.

Yes. She was certain she was going to enjoy at least the first ten days here. After that…Well. Her parents were used to her whining about the lack of phone and internet after a few days anyway.

She almost pitied them.

_**For those of you who continue asking me- I'm sorry I didn't reply before. No. I'm sorry, this is not going to be a Grace x Ironhide fanfiction. I just don't see how such a thing would work, and since I can't picture it, I can't really see myself writing it. I can see them being close friends, confidantes. I can see her thinking of him like an older brother, or an uncle, but I'm afraid the crushing/love thing… not so much.**_

_**That's not to say that I haven't seen good fanfiction here with that coupling. I read one the other day that made me cry because it was so sweet. (And it was ABSURDLY well done!!) But I just can't bring myself to write something I can't envision myself. **_

_**Sorry to disappoint!! I still want to make this a good fic until I'm done with it, so I hope you still enjoy. (Kat)**_


	15. 1,000 Paper Cranes

Sometimes, in the calm of things here on earth, Ironhide could let himself think about the past. Not just the war, not just the enemy, but love as well.

"_You just need to go, you idiot!"_ she'd told him, _"I'm staying here with Elita One. We're going to try and rebuild our forces here."_

"_I will follow then the time is right."_

Chromia had always had his back on Cybertron. Albeit, she was gruff, even for a female- but it made no difference to him. His spark was only for her.

He would sit under the stars and look up at the sky, watching for falling 'stars', hoping that she might arrive. Sometimes, he would try and think back- There was no time before the war that he could remember anymore.

It was as though he had always been a soldier, a warrior. His heavy sigh alerted the young woman sitting nearby in the grass. She had a book in her lap, and a small pile of square papers nearby, with a rock on top to keep them from flying away.

"Are you alright, Ironhide?" she asked, looking up at him. Her small hands were folding the paper this way and that, creasing edges with practiced precision.

He looked down at Grace, "Yes. I am just… reminiscing." He peered down at the project in her hand, "What is that?" he asked, "It looks like a bird."

Grace blinked, looking down at her folded paper and smiled, "Well, it is… Kinda." She pulled the wings of her origami crane out, and made quick work of the back, "It's a paper crane."

A quick search of the World Wide Web brought up the topic of origami. Ironhide nodded, "I see. It is… nice, though not necessarily an accurate portrayal of the species."

Grace felt like laughing. _God, he's always so serious and frank!_ She thought.

"What is so funny?" Ironhide asked carefully, prepared to become confused again, "I was being honest."

Shaking her blonde hair behind her shoulders, Grace smiled up at him, "It's not supposed to be accurate." She said, "It's supposed to be _lucky_." She set the paper bird aside, and began folding another sheet of paper.

"I do not understand why a paper crane would be considered auspiscious." He looked back up at the sky.

Adjusting herself so that she could use the porch light to see how her fold looked, Grace blinked, not looking away from her project, "Supposedly," she started, "If you fold a thousand paper cranes, you'll please the gods, and they'll grant you a wish." She continued folding for a moment in silence.

Ironhide turned his head, watching her. He was processing her folds and creases. When she finally spread the wings, and adjusted the back of the 'crane' just-so, she held it up again for him to see.

"How many do you have?" he asked.

"Not quite a hundred." She replied, picking up another piece of paper. She smiled up at him, beginning the entire process all over again, I want to make a thousand before the start of the new school year."

Ironhide was just about to ask why when he heard Lennox come out onto the back porch, "I see you two have been having fun." He glanced at the few cranes next to his daughter, "I didn't think you were really going to try making all those." He said, "I thought after all the fuss you put up with those thousand paper stars you made for Andrea that you were tired of Origami."

Grace shrugged, still folding and creasing. "I dunno," she muttered, "I needed _something_ to do out here while we've got no connection to the outside world."

"You complaining?" demanded her father calmly, "Because I remember a certain someone saying that she was 'totally ok' with this." He crossed his arms, his beer in one hand.

His daughter ignored his remark as she worked on her origami is silence.

"Are you alright, Ironhide?" her father asked, "You seem very pensive tonight."

"I am alright," the autobot repeated. _Humans can pick up a lot when they're paying attention._ He thought, _Both Captain Lennox and his daughter picked up on my thoughts without any trouble. Was I so obvious?_

When her father returned to the comfort of the indoors, Grace spoke again, "When I was little, I used to think you were alive." She creased another fold, "Because I couldn't see Daddy steering from the back seat." She chuckled, pulling apart another set of wings and setting the bird aside.

She didn't pick up another piece of paper. "That, and there were times that Daddy would turn on the radio, and it would always be the right station, even if mom had played with it prior to him turning it on."

"You were very young, then." Ironhide said, watching her crouch over her knees, running her fingertips over the few birds she'd made, "But obviously intelligent if you were able to figure those things out."

She shrugged, "I never did. But I think you guys all assume that even though I'm older now, that I'm still so naive." She pursed her lips without looking up.

Ironhide suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Why did daddy _really _bring us out here for the entire summer?" she asked, "You don't have to tell if he told you not to- I know how he can be. But I just want you to be aware-" she reached for a can of coke in the grass next to her, "That I'm not stupid enough to believe that Daddy just _happened_ to get so much running time off with the Army."

_She is her fathers' daughter._ Ironhide suddenly found himself thinking, _Good girl._

Her companions silence told her everything she needed to know. "I figured that was the case."

The air around them was only slightly cooler than it had been during the day. The sticky heat had only just begun to wear off, as the stars, only partially hidden by clouds, peeked out above the two of them.

"I've been thinking about some stuff since I realized that you really were _real_." Grace said suddenly, "And you know what? There are some things that just _don't _ add up." She smirked, "But they're starting to."

Ironhide pretended as though he didn't know what she was talking about, "I think your mind plays tricks on you."

"I'm thinking that there's something bad coming our way and Daddy didn't want mom and I in the middle of it." She said, pulling a bit of grass up in her hand and playing with it, "It's the only reason that the military would give him an _entire_ summer away from the base." Grace shook her head, "Despite what Daddy thinks; I _do_ get what goes on sometimes."

Ironhide made a grumbling sound. He was trying to process what it was that the girl was saying.

After an akward silence, Grace smiled, holding up her can of coke, almost as though she was offering it to Ironhide, "Do you want to play a game?" She asked.

_She tells me she's got everything figured out, and so instead of asking me questions, she asks if I want to play a game? Perhaps she is more like her mother than her father._

"What kind of game?"

Taking another long drink of her soda, the girl put the can down in the grass again, and laid down, her hair falling into dandelion puffs. "It's called the question game."

_I was wrong._

"The question game?" He looked for information briefly on the internet, but came up with nothing, "I don't know anything about this activity."

Grace shut her eyes, "You don't have to. The rules are easy. I ask you a question, you ask me a question. We both tell the truth."

"How do you lose?"

Grace smirked, "If I call a lie, you lose." She said, "If you call a lie, then I lose."

"Why would you lie if the rules say to tell the truth?" _Great Matrix! Why is she do confusing?_

Grace looked up at him, "You tell me." She said, "You want to play or not?"

"Alright. I'll go along with it."

The girl suddenly smiled wickedly, "Good. Very good." She held her hand up in a fist, "Lessee who goes first. Rock paper scissors?"

"What?"


	16. Question and Answer Time

"I'm just saying that there is no feasible way that a piece of paper would hold down a rock." Ironhide argued as Grace stared up at him.

"That's not the point, Ironhide," she huffed, "The point is that I won, so I get to ask you a question first."

Grumbling lowly, Grace recognized the sound of the engine she was so used to hearing.

She began to put all her little squares of paper and the little cranes that she'd made into a plastic bag, as she thought about which of the many, _many_ questions she had. Walking up onto the porch, she set the back just inside the screen door so that it wouldn't go anywhere with the evening wind.

"Ok." She walked back over to Ironhide and looked up at him, "Do you like it here with us? My family, I mean." She said.

Ironhide nodded, "Yes. I find your family unit intriguing. I've become what you humans would consider attached." She was staring up at him, almost as though she expected him to do something or say something more.

"What?"

She smiled up at him, "Is that your question?"

_Huh? Oh. _

He made a face, one that Grace didn't recognize, and took a breath before asking, "Why do you persist to disobey your father? Do you not respect him?"

"That's two questions." Grace warned, "And I don't 'persist' in disobeying him. It's just that sometimes what he thinks is best- Well, I don't always agree with him, that's all."

"You went to that club when he told you not to."

"With _no_ intentions of drinking." Grace snapped bitterly, "There was no way for me to know that _that_ was going to happen."

"Did it not occur to you that your father might have had your best intentions in mind?"

"Three in a row. You're breaking the rules."

"_What_ rules?! This game is absurd!" Ironhid said angrily, "It makes no sense!"

"It's my turn."

The autobot huffed, and shook his head, "Alright."

"How old are you?"

Now _there_ was a question that the old soldier had no idea was coming. After thinking for a moment and making some calculations, he finally replied, "I'm not sure how old in your earth years I would be. Thousands of years, I know, but just how many, I'm not sure."

Grace blanched, "Are you serious?"

"That's another question." He replied, almost smugly, "I believe it's my turn."

Grace was climbing up on his leg again. He looked down at her, offered his hand, "Here."

She looked up at him, And smiled, "Ok." She climbed up in his hand and let him place her on his large shoulder. She could recognize some of the different parts of his truck form from there.

"Are you going to be a soldier like your father?" he asked, calmly. He had plenty of questions, but most of them fell into the 'uncomfortable' range of emotions. These seemed fairly simple, and he was just genuinely curious.

"Daddy wants me to," Grace picked at her t-shirt, "But, honestly? I want to be something else. The military life is not for me. Did _you_ always want to be a soldier?"

"It's all I've known for as long as I can remember now." He replied honestly, "I am best suited for my position of weapons' specialist."

There was an uncomfortable silence before he asked, "What do you want to be?"

Grace made a smug face, "I want to go into geographical and earth sciences. You know- specifically Ethnography. I want to get into Ethnomusicography, too."

"Ethnography- the study of the aspect of cultural anthropology concerned with descriptive documentation of living cultures." Ironhide said, quoting information from the internet, "That is an interesting occupation that I did not expect you to be interested in."

_They really are full of surprises._

Grace shrugged from her position on his shoulder, "I think a lot of people are surprised when I mention it. But I haven't told mom and dad yet. I feel like I would be disappointing them."

"Why?"

"It's my turn." Grace said gently, "Why earth?"

Ironhide was quiet for a long moment, before the girl spoke again, "It's got something to with what Daddy doesn't want me knowing, doesn't it?" she asked, "That's alright. I'll ask another question." She was quiet for a moment, as she went through her mental list.

"Alright, then. Why my dad?"

"It was logical at the time." Ironhide said. It was almost too quick of an answer.

"Meaning that there was something that you, or he, was afraid of." Grace said, looking up at the sky, "Oh! Shooting star! Make a wish!" she closed her eyes.

"A wish?" Ironhide looked up at the tail left behind, and wondered if such a childish thing could ever be real. He made his own private wish.

"Why are humans so fascinated by these myths and superstitions?" he asked, glancing down at her, "First the paper cranes, and now the shooting star." He explained his question with a half gesture from his hand to the sky.

Grace smiled, "Well. I guess it's because we all want to believe that somewhere, there is some higher power- some deity that is listening to our prayers. Over time, we just come up with these things." She shrugged, "Do you believe in God?"

"We have the Matrix. When we die, we become a part of it."

"Like the movie?" Grace was confused.

He looked at her, "It's my turn, I believe."

Grace snorted, "Fine."

The sky had begun to fill with clouds by the time Ironhide asked his next question, "Why do you persist on being around me all the time?"

Grace stared at him, her feelings clearly hurt by the way he asked, "I… I want to be your friend." She said, "Why? You don't want me around?"

"You're confusing. Why are you so confusing?"

"_I'm_ confusing?! Look who's talking! Why are you here in the first place?"

"Because I want to be here. And you didn't answer my question."

Grace huffed, crossing her arms, "I'm confusing because I'm a woman! That's why!"

"That doesn't make any sense." Ironhide said, trying to keep calm. _She's become irrational again! How does Lennox deal with her when she's like this!?_

"It makes sense, but you choose not to get it." Grace said half-heartedly, "And it's my turn."

Ironhide didn't argue.

"Does the Army know about you?"

Ironhide couldn't help but flinch in the seriousness of the question. "… I can't answer that."

"Then that probably means yes. Did daddy get the time off because you were in danger?"

"… No."

"Then Mom and I are." She said flatly. The question game was over. She had been going to use it simply to get more information, but she was tired of playing.

Ironhide didn't reply.

"From these... deceptive people you were talking about when we went camping?" she asked, "Is it?"

_Decepticon_, he mentally corrected. He had to commend her puzzle solving skills.

"Grace?" her mothers voice came from the porch, "It's nearly nine-thirty. Don't you think you should come on in and let Ironhide get some rest?" Her voice sounded strained.

Grace looked down at her mother and smiled, "Sure mom. I'll be in, in a moment."

Her mother nodded, giving Ironhide a nervous look.

Grace sat quietly on Ironhides shoulder for a minute. "If we're in danger- then it's because I found out about you, isn't it?"

Ironhide shook his head no.

"It's alright." The girl said suddenly. And then she did something unexpected. She put her hands on his head, in a hug-like gesture. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, "I just wanted to know. I know I'm confusing, but it's not because I'm doing it intentionally." She released him, and started to slide down towards his hand.

He picked her up, holding her gently in his hand before letting go, "I am not upset by your behavior. It is what I find natural from you."

Grace smirked at him, "I hear you."

Placing the slender girl gently on the ground, Ironhide listened to the faint sounds of thunder. There would be rain that night. He transformed into the familiar truck that Grace knew, and pulled into the open garage. Grace followed him inside, and patted his hood.

"'Night, Ironhide."

"Goodnight, Grace."

_**Ok, I'm really sorry guys, but I just want to make something clear- If you leave me a constructive review, concern or question, then, yes, I'm going to reply. But for the e-mails that I've received- I have to tell you this:**_

_**If you don't have the common sense to realize that this is **_**fanfiction**_** and not something that I'm doing as a serious by-line, then I'm sorry. My original works are on my website, linked on my FFN front-page. **_

_**Yes. I know, some of my grammar sucks. I try pretty hard to make is at lest semi-realistic. Yes. There are continuity mistakes. I'm aware of that, and had you actually read the notes I left in those chapters, you would be able to see that I know this. **_

_**For the two deliciously long, obnoxious e-mails I received (you know who you are), No. I'm not going to give you the gratification of e-mailing you back with the appropriately contumelious response. No matter how much you deserve it. **_

_**Look, if you like the story, I'm glad. I only write for myself, and those who enjoy it. If you don't like it, and you have a REAL reason for not liking it, please, tell me. It might be something I'm not aware I'm doing! **_

_**And if you don't like it just because someone else has reviewed and decided that they like it? Good Lord, keep it to yourself. I'm not going to be in the middle of some adolescent fight.**_

_**New Chapter up later tonight. (Kat)**_


	17. Nightmares and The Talk

In dreams, the perception of reality is nearly always distorted. To all organic life on earth, from humans right down the plants, the resting cycle can be either peaceful or turbulent.

Grace was no exception to that rule.

Ever since the night that Tim Zimmerman had nearly raped her, she'd had nightmares almost every night. His sick laugh echoed in her head, Ironhides protection a transparent wish that simply would not come.

She laid in her bed, sheet half covering her legs, drenched in sweat. She tossed and turned, pulling at her bed and her face, and trying desperately to find an escape.

Until she would eventually wake, panting, crying… She felt shame of herself, as she sat up in bed. The mirror across from her bed would look back at her in the darkness, and Grace held the sheet over her body, despite the heat.

The rain outside wore against the house, thunder manifest. The window pane was a waterfall.

Lightning lit up the room, making Grace see, if only for a brief second, the figure of Tim behind her.

She cried out in sudden shock and fear, mentally berating herself for being so stupid as to think the stupid boy was there in the room with her.

Running her freshly painted fingernails through her hair, Grace took a deep shaky breath.

Ironhide felt the sudden weight of Grace's hand on the truck bed. He knew the familiar sensation of her searching out the handle to the back in the darkness.

_She's distressed. Her Biological signs are showing that she is frightened._

She had come to him for quiet comfort.

The sudden click of the passenger-side door opening drew Graces attention, as well as the dim cab light from within. Taking the invitation without a word, Grace climbed into Ironhide, her pillow and sheet in tow. He lowered the passenger seat for her, and she crawled into the back seat, lying down. He was comfortably cool, and her sweat had already begun to dry tacky and salty against her skin.

* * *

Will looked at Sarah from across the breakfast table. He sipped his coffee quietly. "She's outside." He said, "In the garage."

"I noticed she wasn't in her bed this morning." Sarah replied softly, as she stirred milk into her own black concoction, "Do you think she's been having trouble sleeping?"

William nodded his head, "It's the only thing I can think of. They bicker like siblings, I just can't see her up and asking Ironhide if she can sleep with him." He mentally made notes never to say that again. It just sounded… unnatural.

"She's had a shocking month, Will," Sarah said, "Remember when my father passed away? She slept in our bed for two months," she took a sip of her coffee before putting in another spoonful of sugar, "Grace had so many nightmares…She's just looking for comfort."

Will nodded again, "I know." He said, "It's just… Don't you think it's a bit strange that she's suddenly so attached to Ironhide?"

Sarah shook her head no, "Not at all. He's a real, live person. Metal, yes, but alive." She shrugged her shoulders, "And… I think she suspects something." She added, lowering her tone.

Her husband looked at her from across the table, his eyes wide with concern, "Oh?"

"She was drilling Ironhide last night for answers." Sarah said, running her fingers over the rim of her mug, "She _knows_ something is up, Will. She is _your_ daughter after all. You couldn't have expected her not to catch on at some point."

Frowning into his own coffee, the aging military man nodded, "I know. I had just hoped that we wouldn't have to tell her."

"You knew it would happen. Don't you think it's better that she knows and that she's prepared, than have it happen by surprise?" Sarah said gently. She reached across the table, taking her darling husbands wrist in her hand, "I don't want her hurt."

Sixteen years ago, his wife's hair had been blonde. Now, it was slowly turning into a shade of platinum, though she tried to keep up her old colour with dye from time to time.

There were wrinkles in her face that he'd never noticed before. When had they become so old?

But, he still found her just as beautiful as the day they'd first met.

Even if she _had_ accidentally broken his fingers.

But her beauty held nothing to the kind of sense that she could talk into him, when necessary circumstances arrived. And he could hate how right she could be.

"I'll talk to her."

"I'm not saying to tell her everything, but at least warn her against trying to get a hold of her friends. Just for now. Just while Optimus and the others find a way to keep us hidden." Sarah encouraged, "Because you know she's going to try."

William nodded in agreement, "Alright." He stood up from the table.

"Put some clothes on first, honey." She added suddenly, "Trying to have a serious talk with Grace in your boxers- just not going to work." She chuckled at her husbands obvious red and blue boxers.

"Ha. Ha." He snorted, and kissed her crown as he left the room.

* * *

Grace awoke to the sounds of her father getting into the truck. "Mornin' Gracie." He said, leaning over the drivers seat, and peering at her.

She blinked, opening her eyes, "Ugh.. Daddy?" she rubbed her face, "What time is it?"

"Nearly ten." He replied, flipping the seat forward, "Mind if I join you?"

His daughter, her hair knotted from her wallering, and her face red from sleep, complied, sitting up in the seat. She hugged on her pillow.

Climbing into the back seat with Grace, Will found himself in a hard spot. How much did he tell her? How much did he keep from her?

"Your mother heard you speaking with Ironhide last night."

Grace nodded, "Yeah. He's no fun at the question game." She smiled sleepily.

"She overheard what you were asking him."

Grace shut her mouth, suddenly a little more awake than she had been moments before. "oh." She managed softly.

Will hesitated. '_The Talk_' had been easy enough to pawn off on Sarah- but this was going to be so much harder. "I… just want to let you know… what's happening." He rubbed his own face, "I need to tell you what's going on," he repeated, "And what to do if things get out of hand."

* * *

_**I have a terrible confession to make everyone- I'm going to be preparing for a quilt-show over the next week, so my updates will be limited. Much more limited than they have been. Looks back on three chapters in 24 hours **_

_**Normally, a show wouldn't have me so wound and busy, but this time I was caught off-guard and at the last minute, so I have photographs to take, tops to make, samples to prepare and cards to get printed between now and next Thursday night.**_

_**So, Until I can start updating more frequently again- I just want to thank **_**every**_** one of ya'll that's left me a kind word. I want to thank you from the bottom of my lil ol' heart. I don't think I've ever had this kind of reception to any of my work before, and I'm so happy to hear all these words of encouragement I could just bust!**_

_**Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! (Kat)**_


	18. Comprehension

Grace sat outside in the middle of the unfenced yard. Her mind was spinning.

Actually, her head was aching. It was the world that was spinning. Yes. Quickly and out of control.

_Just a month ago, I was just getting my license… Gonna go party with some friends, gonna go shopping without mom over my shoulder. And now?_ She mused, pursing her lips, _now I'm in a family that has a giant robot for a family truck. A giant robot who is protecting us from other giant robots with some really bad vendettas… And now my dad is telling me that if anything happens to him and mom, I'm supposed to stay as far away from California as I can get. _

She put her head on her knees, bending her limber body in two as she thought.

"_You can't go to Sam or Mikaela. You'll put Nick in danger."_

"_But… Then where?"_

"_Anywhere far, far away from here."_

Ironhide had tried to reassure her by letting her know that he would protect her, no matter what. He was a soldier, after all, and to fight the enemy off so that she could get away- that was, as he'd said, his 'duty'.

Grace shook her head, letting her hair tickle her knees, "This is insane." She mumbled.

The firm thrum of Ironhide's steps alerted her to his presence. It was as though a fifty-foot tall, ten ton robot would just sneak up behind her, after all. She sat up, without bothering to look over her shoulder.

"Hey, Ironhide." She said.

_She's just had a pretty bad shock,_ Ironhide reminded himself, _So try not to upset her._

"It is… difficult to understand, when you're suddenly thrust into such a situation."

"What would you know? You said you don't remember a time without the war." Grace snapped.

Ironhide felt himself become unsteady for a moment. Her memory was one of the few things that he had become used to that still surprised him from time to time. That, and her sharp tongue.

"But there was a time." He said, "And the time I've been here with your family, I've grown accustomed to the tranquility that you enjoy." He knelt beside her, sitting on the grass. The hills and valleys stretched out before them, trees speckled here and there.

Grace sighed, rubbing her temples, "I… don't even know what to say to that." She muttered, "I don't know what to say about any of this." When she looked up, Ironhide found himself staring at her startling brown-green eyes.

Why had he never noticed them before?

"I… wish I could offer you comfort." He said, feeling an almost physical tightness around his spark, "I… wish I could offer you something that would make it all go away…" he paused, "But, I… cannot." He opened his hand, and then curled it back into a fist, "All I can promise is that I will _protect_ you. I will not leave you."

Grace shook her head, "Protect Mom! Protect Dad!" she said suddenly, "That's what I'm afraid of! Them! Them being gone…" her voice trailed off, "I don't know what I'd do."

Ironhide could offer no words of wisdom. He only knew what he had experienced. The brothers and sisters lost on Cybertron, Jazz; here on earth- He only knew one way to cope, and that was to strive on.

Somehow he doubted that those words would be of any comfort to the adolescent female.

The early afternoon promised to be hot, as the days before had been. The breeze was only barely there.

But Grace was ok with that. She'd lived in California her entire life- she was used to it.

They sat in each others silence for a long while.

Finally, Grace got up and started to walk away.

Despite the protests running through his mind, Ironhide did nothing to stop her. He knew that she would not venture far- she simply wanted some peace.

_She has not been through as much as her father and mother have_, he reminded himself, _So long as she does nothing foolish, allowing her to venture a few hundred metres from the house will be alright._

Grace stopped eventually, at the top of one of the hills. She looked out over the grass and sparse shrubbery.

Looking over her shoulder at the now standing robot, she sighed. "I'll be back in a little while." She said calmly, before walking off again.

Ironhide did not follow.

The familiar rumble of tires and gravel crunching under the weight of a yellow Camaro reached Sarah as she sat out on the front porch, book in hand.

She slipped off her reading glasses when she saw Bumblebee drive up to the house.

"You're a week early!" she said with a welcoming smile. There was a lot of worry behind that smile, Sam and Mikaela recognized it. They were feeling the same way.

But Nick tumbled out of Bumblebee with his big, rapturous smile, and ran up the steps of the porch, arms flailed wide, "Auntie!" he shouted, bounding into Sarah's lap, "Mommy says that we're staying with you for the night!"

Sarah smiled, patting the boy on the head, "Perhaps. If you're a good boy."

"I'm _always_ good." Nick said back. He looked over his shoulder at the familiar sounds of metal transforming, "Bumblebee said so!"

Sarah chuckled, and greeted her adult company with smiles.

"Why don't you go and find Uncle Will? I'll bet he'll be more than willing to show you your room, ok?" Sarah put the boy down on his feet. He raced into the house, tearing through the screened door, shouting "Uncie Will!"

Sam smiled weakly, "Hey, Sarah."

Sarah hugged each of them in turn, and looked up to Bumblebee, "I thought we agreed that it would be best if you didn't come for another week."

"Our trip to Alberta has been bumped up a couple days," Sam said, "And Nick wanted to come and see you before we left."

Sarah looked up at Bumblebee, "It's going to be a long haul for you- a couple thousand miles with a hyper four-year old in your backseat? I _almost_ pity you." She teased gently.

Despite her humor, the air was tense. They all knew the reason that they'd come to visit. They wanted to know if there was anymore word on the movement of the human group that was trying to track them, or the decepticons that were hot on said groups trail.

Bumblebee made a smile, his face a mesh of metal and wires, "It will be alright." He said, "We've done this before- Nick will be asleep in no time."

Sarah smiled, "You know- Ironhide's in the back with Grace. It's going to be a little while before we get Nick settled down enough that we can all talk."

Bumblebee nodded, "Yes. I'm patient, though. You'd be surprised." He walked around the ranch house and to the unfenced spaces behind.

Sarah looked to her two companions, "Come in… Tea?" she offered, holding the door open for the two adults.

"Tea for me, please- Will said that Grace knew everything now over the phone." Mikaela said as she walked into the cool home, "How's she taking it?"

Sarah grimaced, "As well as can be expected, I suppose." She replied, honestly, as she slid the glass door to the back patio open. Outside in the yard, William was letting Nick sit on him and pretend to wrestle around.

"She must be pretty angry."

"Well… She _is_ a teenager." Sam pointed out.

"You want anything Sam? A beer, water? Tea?" Sarah opened the refrigerator, rummaging for the glass pitcher of tea.

"I'm good." He said, passing the women as he walked out on the patio.

"So how's she _really_ taking all this?" Mikaela asked again, as Sarah stood up and fetching two tall green glasses from the cupboards.

"She's mad at us." Sarah said with a sigh, as she poured, "And- to some extent- I think she might be mad at Ironhide, too."

_**Wow- I finally get to update and it's so short that I barely want to bother. But the fact is that the next part is something that I want to take place a bit after all this, so I don't get much of an option.**_

_**For those of you wishing me luck on my Quilt Show; thank you! I'm going to need it. 4 tops done, 8 to go. (Praying that my fat quarter shipment gets in on time!!)**_

_**Also, I'm aiming for another update sometime on Monday. Tomorrow will be another full day behind the sewing machine, so hopefully I'll get more done! Yay!**_

_**(Kat)**_


	19. Attack

Two weeks went by without event. Two weeks became three. Three became nearly another month, and soon, September was around the bend.

Grace sat outside in the sun, wearing only her orange two piece bathing suite- the one that left little to the imagination. Despite autumn being so close, the heat was still just the same as it had been a month ago.

Nearby, Ironhide was sitting, his Autobot form casting a long shadow in front of himself.

"I do not understand why you lay in the sun like that intentionally." He said, narrowing his optics at the girl, "You are ruining your body."

Grace blinked, putting her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. "I'm wearing sunscreen." She said, sitting up and taking the bottle into her hand, "SPF something or the other…" she squinted down at the bottle of Banana Boat, and read off the number, "Thirty. SPF Thirty, see?" she held up the bottle, label up so that he could read the tiny print.

"Why do you want to increase the release of the pigment in your skin? It's only temporary." He shook his head, "It seems… Unnatural."

Grace blinked, "Well… I dunno. When you think about it, really, It's really more natural for the skin to release more pigment, since our ancestors spent nearly all their time outdoors. The Tanning they got from that was natural…"

"They did not fear skin cancers."

"They didn't know the name for it." Grace replied, lying back down in the sun.

"You're being stubborn."

Grace calmly gave him the finger.

"Don't make me come out there and break it off!" shouted her mother from inside the screen door.

Grace pursed her lips and put her hand down, "Sorry, Mom!"

Sarah sighed deeply, looking back at her husband, "Will, She's picked up that God-awful habit from _you_… Can't you at least _try_ and break her of it?" she demanded, going back to setting the table for supper.

Will snickered, "Would you rather her come right out and say it?" he asked, filling out another portion of some paperwork that had been couriered to him. He removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"They just keep sending more and more of that," Sarah leaned over Wills shoulder, "What _is_ all of it? Do they really have to know that much about them?"

Will kissed his wife on the cheek, "The Army just wants to make sure that there is nothing that they're hiding, that's all. Sam and Mikaela heading for Canada for that little while there didn't help things."

"Don't they know about all that… activity? That stuff that Optimus was talking about?"

Will shook his head, "Yes, they know. But I don't think that they understand just how far into the network those decepticons can get." He sighed, "You know, after all that mess before, I _really_ had hoped that they would take up the offers from the Autobots to help with the security."

Sarah sat next to him, leaving the stack of silverware on the table in front of them, "I'm sure they have a good reason."

"I'm sure they _don't_." he responded distantly, "But there's nothing we can do. And with Grace heading back to school in two weeks, I can't help but wonder just how safe we can keep her while she's gone from the house." Rubbing his wife's hand, he couldn't help but wonder how safe he could keep either members of his precious family safe.

Grace looked up at Ironhide, who had shifted suddenly.

"Something wrong?"

"Someone is coming." He said, his voice suddenly much more commanding than she'd heard from him, "Get inside." He stood up, his cannon powering up, as Grace scrambled to her feet and ran inside.

"Dad! He says someone's coming!" she shouted, as she stumbled into the house.

William stood from his chair so quickly that it fell behind him, "Sarah- you two get down into the cellar." He said calmly, "The rounds are down there. If you hear any voices that you don't know, shoot first, take names later."

Sarah grabbed her daughter by the arm, "Come on, sweetie." She urged.

"What's going on?" Grace followed her mother, grabbing a pair of jeans from the laundry basket as they rushed by, "Mom?"

Her mother opened the cellar door, and motioned for Grace to go down first, "Go."

"Mom?"

"Don't ask questions! Go!" she commanded. Grace obeyed.

Stumbling down into the darkness below, Grace fumbled for a lightswitch. She hadn't been down here since she was a child. Her mother turned it on for her.

Down here in the darkness, Grace could see several metal cabinets, locked up.

Sarah approached the first one, and unlocked it with a key she picked up from under the last step. Turning, she tossed her daughter a dangerous looking gun, the thick barrel much heavier than it looked.

"What the _hell_?" Grace stared at her mother, as she pulled out a gun, similar to her own.

"Like your father said, shoot first, take names later, got it?"

Grace nodded stiffly.

Above them, the thundering sounds of Ironhides steps and the gruff swearing of her father could be heard- along with an unfamiliar voice.

Sarah cringed, taking the gun in hand, and looked up through the thin window above them. A massive foot crashed down, shattering the window. Sarah fell back, covering her face.

"Mom!"

"I'm alright." She brushed at her face, tiny shards of glass falling from her hair, "I'm ok. Just stay focused." She encouraged. Her face hardened at the sound of her husbands voice.

"Lennox! He's coming in front the north!" Ironhide warned, "Stay behind me." He aimed his cannon at Starscream as the Jet came within range.

He fired off round after round.

Sarah stared, "He didn't get the gun." She breathed, "Grace, stay here!" she commanded, as she took an extra weapon from the metal cabinet, she looked at her daughter, touching her face with her fingers, "Everything will be great, honey."

Grace stared as her mother disappeared up the stairs. She gripped the weapon in her hand.

Things were just happening too fast. Grace could barely keep up with it all. The sound of her fathers swearing and her mothers shouting were almost too much to handle! How could she just stay down here while they both fought… _whatever it was_? How could they ask that of her?

The battling above her became all to real as a sudden rumbling turned into the thunderous sound of timbers crashing! Drywall crumbled above her, and finally, the entire world came crashing down on her head.

Grace heard her father shout her name. She heard Ironhide shout her name. Her mother screamed. The sound of weapons firing was so loud- so loud Grace felt as though she'd never hear anything again.

Then she heard another familiar voice- though not her mother. "Grace!" It sounded like..

_Aunt Mikaela?_ How had she gotten there? There was weight on her chest, a horrible crushing weight.

The debris from her head was lifted suddenly. The light of the late afternoon sun shone down on her face. She shut her eyes to it, grunting.

"Die." A voice spoke beside her. She opened her eyes, looking to one side of herself. A creature- metal and wires, just like Ironhide, was peering at her. His metal eyelids clanked shut and then shuddered open again.

_My arm.. the gun!_ Grace thought, trying to squirm. Her arm was pointing the right direction, but without being able to see where the weapon was aimed, there was no way to tell-

She pulled the trigger. The throwback from the weapon made her elbow crack suddenly. She shreiked from the pain.

But Grace didn't cry out nearly as loudly as the decepticon that had been in her face only a moment before.

The shot from the weapon she'd fired was so hot that the metal on his face was starting to drip. The sounds of crunching and the screaming of sharp metal against metal made Grace's ears ache, as the head of said decepticon fell off.

Above her stood Bumblebee, looking about as irate as anyone without true facial muscles could. He tossed the body of the decepticon aside.

"Look out!" Sam's voice interluded, as a larger robot slammed into Bumblebee's back.

Mikaela scrambled down the debris to the half buried girl. "Grace! Grace, are you alright!"

She was still crying from the pain that the recoil had caused. "I think I broke it…" she whimpered.

"Broke what?"

"My _arm._"

"Fallback!" screamed a high-voice.

"I think not, Starscream." Ironhide growled, aiming carefully, and firing with his left cannon. He clipped the enemy, but they were retreating quicker than he and Bumblebee could take them on, "You cowards!" he shouted as the others managed a shaky escape.

Mikaela was trying to pull debris off the girl, though her success was limited.

Bumblebee knelt beside the woman, and removed several bits of timber and sheetrock.

The sound of glass shattering and furniture crunching underfoot were replaced by the sudden comforting sounds of Graces' father as he spoke to her gently while Ironhide and Bumblebee removed the larger debris.

"Grace, sweetheart…" her mother said, scrambling down into the debris beside her daughter, "I'm so sorry," she began to weep, "I'm so sorry. It was meant to protect you… I didn't know this was going to happen."

The sounds of the other autobots arriving were just too little too late.

Transforming, Ratchet approached the scene. "We got the message, but it seems that it was too late." He said, kneeling next to the girl. A light covered her, as she sobbed from the shooting pains in her arm, "Her elbow has been dislocated." He said calmly, "She has also broken two fingers," he calmly motioned to Sam and William, "Remove her gently, being careful of the elbow. We'll need to replace it before too long, or it might become and issue."

"Too late…" Ironhide muttered, "We frightened them off."

"No." said Bumblebee, "I don't believe that's the case." He said calmly, "It was too easy."

Ironhide didn't want to agree, but he couldn't help wanting to think that he- _they _had driven him off.

Optimus frowned deeply, "I had the feeling this was going to happen."

Grace screamed in pain as her father took a hold of her arm. "Hold her upper arm, Sam." He said, "And hold it still. Gracie, baby, this is gonna hurt."

And hurt it did! She screamed out in agony as her father shoved her elbow back into its rightful place.

"&#$!!!!"

"Annabelle Grace Lennox!" her mother protested, though only lightly. She was too grateful that her only child had survived the entire house being thrown down on top of her.

"It effin' hurt mom!" she shouted in protest. Tears were rolling down her face.

Ratchet pulled out a piece of material from somewhere. "She needs a sling and minimal use for a little while." He said calmly, "Here, use this."

As Will worked on patching up his daughter, Optimus Prime demanded a quick brief from Ironhide. He had prayed that the Decepticons would not find the location of the human friends that had helped them so long ago.

But now that they had- What could they do?

_**OMG: Not only did I manage to complete two more quilt tops today, but I managed a five and a half page chapter! Woo!! I am On-A-Roll!!! **_

_**Now… I have t'go get some much, MUCH needed sleep. (Kat)**_


	20. Underwear is what she wears

Cradling her arm, Grace staggered down the stairs of the Witwicky household. It still ached like a sonuvabugger.

_My freaking elbow…my fingers… and now this? No home, no school, no friends, no internet, no phone,_ she made a mental complaint list, _And after Daddy told me I couldn't come here if something happened!! Just what the hell does he think we're going to do? Just leave? And what if we do? Will those things find us again??_ She put her head against the wall in the stairwell.

"Auntie Grace?" Nick looked up at her from the bottom of the stairs, "Are you ok?"

Grace smiled down at the boy. He had his fathers bright eyes. He had his mothers hair.

"I'm alright." She assured him with as realistic a smile as she could manage.

"When Mommy does that, it means that she has to go take a bath." He made a face, "A _long_ bath." He scrunched his nose, "With the smelly candles." He added.

Grace laughed, "I'm not going to go take a bath, Nick. I already had a shower. I've just got a little bit of a headache." She finished the stairs, and patted him on the head with her other hand, careful of her busted fingers.

Nick smiled and put his hand over hers, "Will you come play cars with me?" he asked, turning those sweet eyes up to Grace.

"Well, Ratchet wanted to take a look at my fingers, but afterwards, Sure." Grace smiled back at the sweet boy.

"Mommy said that Ratchet is a 'old, cold, rude bast-"

"Don't repeat what mommy says, hon." Broke in Mikaela, laughing nervously. She looked at Grace with a weak smile, "Please don't um... You know."

"I won't tell him." Grace assured with a laugh.

Mikaela led Nick off to the backyard, as Grace followed, walking through the kitchen. Her father and Sam were sitting at the table, talking in hushed voices over documents.

When Grace had been much, much younger, she had been inclined to get up in her fathers lap and ask about the documents. Before she had been able to read, she'd pretended to read what they said.

But once Grace learned how to read, she was no longer allowed in Daddy's lap to look at the documents.

And now that she was much older, she knew that it would not be a good idea to bother her father while he was working with Sam.

"Are those about the Autobots?" she asked, suddenly.

Surprised at her own question, Grace almost put her hand up to cover her mouth. Upon thinking about it for another moment, however, she found herself feeling _entitled_ to know just what those stupid papers were about.

_I had an entire house dropped on me, my home taken from me, and my elbow and fingers busted. I think I have a right to know now._

To her surprise, her father looked up, and nodded, "Yes."

She almost fell over.

"Oh." She squeaked. Then she hurried out of the kitchen, feeling quite the naughty child. When she got outside, she saw that Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide and Bumblebee were standing together. They were talking in a language composed of mostly high pitched sounds and tones.

"Um... ok…"

An older woman with graying brown hair was leaning against Optimus' foot. She seemed fairly content to just listen to the alien sounds.

Elizabeth Carrey smiled over at the young lady that came out of the house, "You must be Grace." She said, standing, somewhat slowly. Her joints cracked as she walked over to the girl.

Despite her obvious age, Grace found the heavyset woman's grip to be firm and strong. Shaking her hand, Grace smiled, "I'm afraid… I don't know you."

"Liz Carrey, Dear. Everyone just calls me Liz." She smiled, "I spoke to Ironhide. He was telling me that you got hurt in the attack from the others." She was reffering to the decepticons.

Grace nodded, numbly, "I... How… uh. You're here, and you know... about them?" she tried to sort out her thoughts.

Motioning upwards to the Autobots, Liz smiled, "Optimus," she said, "Somehow ended up copying my truck." She chuckled, "God only knows how long he was like that before I found him." She said calmly, "Because I'm walking out of the Kettle Stop out on Highway Nine, and there he was." She shrugged, "I thought that I had misplaced my own truck." She laughed, "You stay on the road so much over the years, and eventually you do that from time to time."

"The rest, as they say, is history." She laughed again, the sound of her voice filled the yard, "He almost gave me a heart attack when I found out!"

Grace couldn't help herself, "How?"

"How?" Liz blinked, "How what?"

"How did you find out?"

Liz blushed a little bit, "Well, there were a bunch of little things at first," she looked up at her protector, "The radio station coming on, the heater running before I ever got to it, the lack of need to check the tires after a seven day haul, just little things like that at first," she sighed suddenly," But then, There was the night that I almost hit another truck- and then at the last second, He takes over, swerves me _around_ the other truck, and then calmly just keeps going. I'm not touching the wheel, and I've still got my foot on the break, but the truck is _still_ going." She laughed, "Next thing I know, there's this fella sitting next to me, all ghost like- and he's asking me," she took a small box out of her back pocket, drawing out a cigarette, "He's asking me,'Hey, are you alright?' 'Don't be alarmed,' he tells me." She laughed again, lighting up her cigarette with a match before continuing, "So, yeah. That's more or less it."

"She tried to punch me." Optimus suddenly said. Grace hadn't realized that the alien chatter has ceased while Liz was speaking to her.

"I have an old heart." Liz said sourly, taking another drag, "And a woman needs to know how to take care of herself."

Grace blinked, shaking her head, "My life just keeping weirder and weirder." She muttered, barely audible.

"What about you, dear? How'd you find out that the truck was really a robot?" Liz seemed to have a fair sense of humor, but Ironhide missed it, grunting, "I have a name."

"Sorry dear, but this is all still fairly new to me," Liz said calmly, taking another hit from her habit, "I'm sure you understand."

Ironhide fought the urge to say something back. But he remembered that Grace was strange, and she was only an adolescent female. Matrix only knew how strange a full grown female like this one was.

Grace blushed, "He rescued me." She said softly. It wasn't something that she wanted to talk about.

"Oh?" Liz leaned against Optimus again, her casual pose showing her lack of fear, "You sound almost… Embarrassed." She was quick to put things together, "Boy, was it?" she asked, "He seems like the kind to get jealous." She smiled.

Grace shook her head, "It's… Not a big deal." She made a gesture with her hand to wave away the smoke coming from the older woman.

Suddenly Grace found herself bathed in light.

Liz dropped her cigarette from her mouth, and blinked, "Dear Jesus! Where'd your clothes go!?"

Grace blinked, and shook her head, "Huh?" _Is she insane?_ She wondered.

And then she looked down, only to find herself in nothing but her bra and underwear. The underwear that she had bought from the fancy lingerie shop. The one that her father had said that she didn't need to shop from; because the underwear sold there was little more than lace.

And, Oh God, she was standing in the middle of the back yard, in blue light with nothing but her undergarments on!!

She screamed, using her free hand to cover herself.

Nick started to make loud, unnecessary sounds, "EW!" he shouted, "EW! Mommy! Mommy, Grace is in her underwear!!!" he ran for the house, "_Mommy!!!!_"

"_YOU!_" The humiliated blonde screamed up at Ratchet, "Give me back my _clothes_!!" her voice cracked as the light disappeared, and her clothes reappeared.

"What the buggered hell was _that_?" she demanded, touching her shirt to make sure that, yes, it was really back where it should be.

Ratchet blinked, the sounds of metal sliding softly audible, "I was examining you." He said simply, "Your fingers are on the mend," he said calmly, changing the subject, "And you should be able to start therapy with your elbow soon, as well." He advised.

"My _clothes_ disappeared!" grace gasped, "What the fu-"

Mikaela touched the girl on the shoulder, "It's alright. I didn't even remember that until Nick came tearing through the house." She almost laughed, and Grace could tell, "It's like… a 3-d x-ray." She explained calmly, "Believe me; I know what you're going through." She laughed, "The first time Sam and I met Ratchet, he did the same thing to make sure we were healthy."

"I bet Uncle Sam loved that." Grace said with little humor.

Mikaela laughed, "Thinking back on it- yeah. He probably didn't mind the view."

Ratchet turned his attention to Liz, who had retrieved her cigarette and was in the process of trying to re-light it. She looked up at him calmly, and said;

"I don't think anyone wants to see what's under here." She advised, "Or rather, what's _not._ So don't even _think_ about it."

Grace thought she was going to be sick. "That's just… wrong…" she managed weakly.

Ironhide shook his head, "Human women are… curious… at best." He wondered in awe, as the woman smiled away with private humor.

"You said you were going to quit that." Optimus said, kneeling in front of the woman. He held his face close enough to Liz's that Grace could even see the different diodes that made up his optics, "Those creations are unhealthy for you and serve no nutritional purposes."

Liz pursed her lips, "I'm a nervous wreak." She protested.

"Put it out, Liz." He said calmly.

She sighed, and snuffed out the remaining half cigarette she had on the bottom of her shoe. "Better?"

"Yes."

Grace sighed. Backing away from the scene, she ran into Nick.

"Cars?" he asked, holding up a plastic case of matchbox creations.

She smiled. _Thank God at least one person I know is normal_. She thought with with a sigh of relief, "Ok. You want to play on the porch?"

Nick shook his head.

"Upstairs?"

He shook his head again.

Grace blinked, "Where do you want to play, then?"

"_Bumblebee!!_" he exclaimed happily.

_I take that back._ She thought, with another sigh, _someone save me_.

_**So- for those of you who don't know, in the Transformers novelization, when Sam and Mikaela meet Ratchet for the first time, he examines them to advise that they're both healthy- but when he does it, they're both bathed in light, and their clothes (except the undies!) disappear. LOL.**_

_**The Show is tomorrow- my shipment still hasn't some in tho, so I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be here this afternoon, or, at latest- tomorrow morning. **_

_**Didn't get as many tops done as I wanted, but I have 10/12. so I think I did fair enough.**_

_**Look for more normal update times as of Sunday. (Taking care of cleanup on Saturday.) Until then!! Kat**_


	21. Rollout

_This is just _not_ right._ Grace grimaced as she sat at the toe of Bumblebees foot, catching cars that Nick continually rolled down.

Because Bumblebees leg was not completely solid however, the little metal toys would inevitably fly off in some direction, leaving Grace to chase them down.

She grunted as one of said cars hit her arm. The one in the sling. "That hurt." She muttered grouchily.

Bumblebee looked down at Nick, "Maybe that's enough Nick." He said, as the boy ignored him and let another matchbox loose.

"Hey. He said enough." Ironhide was only sitting nearby, "I-"

"_Nick_! God, that _hurt_!" Grace rubbed her forehead, where latest said car had hit, "Those things aren't soft you know!"

Nick smiled at the girl, "Sorry, Auntie Grace!" He reached for another car.

Bumblebee shifted suddenly, causing Nick to lose his balance in his friends palm. "That's enough now, Nick." He said, "It's not ok when you're hurting someone else."

Nick looked up at his metal guardian, "Aw… but…"

"Not buts, kid!" Grace pointed up at him with her broken fingers, "I think it's time you found a new game to play. One that doesn't involved torturing me."

"Waterslide!"

"Nick! Mom made you some lunch!" Sam called from the house, "Come here, kiddo."

"Ba-Loonie!!" the boy squealed with delight as Bumblebee set him down on the ground. He ran off towards the house, leaving his collection of little metal cars for Grace to clean up.

Grace looked up at Bumblebee, "You must have the patience of a freakin' saint." She managed weakly, "I bet the kids back home must have loved you."

Bumblebee blinked, tilting his head, "Kids?"

Ironhide shook his head, making a gesture that might have been rolling his eyes, "She's referring to adolescents." He said calmly.

"I know what she meant- but Autobots don't 'grow' the way humans do." Bumblebee said calmly.

Grace suddenly felt uncomfortable, "Ohhh…kay. Um. Maybe this is something I _shouldn't_ ask about?"

Ironhide snorted, "It's not like it's quite as disgusting as your birthing process." He said, "We're simply built."

"Disgusting?" grace blinked, "But there's… well... Yeah, maybe it is _kinda_ gross." She laughed suddenly, "Your women must be fairly happy about the lack of pain, blood, and screaming."

Bumblebee said nothing.

Ironhide was quite for a moment, before saying, "There is a lot of pain back on Cybertron."

_Shit! Awkward!_ "I meant the pain associated with birth." She said quickly, "You know, because of the baby coming out?"

"When Mikaela went into… labor- she _did_ scream a lot. But most of it was along the lines of Sam and someone named Dick."

Grace staggered back, "Oh, _God_. Never say that again, ok, Bumblebee?" she asked weakly, "There _are_ such things as boundaries when it comes to birth. You just crossed that one."

"I don't understand."

"How do you know that anyway? You drive them to the hospital?" Grace asked.

Bumblebee made a shrugging motion, "Yes."

"So- Wow. Aunt Mikaela must have had a violent pregnancy." She half muttered, "Unless she was really far along when you drove them."

"Nine months, is that not- normal?"

Ironhide was listening, but he didn't want to contribute anything. There was something amusing about the face Grace made when Bumblebee said that Mikaela had begun to give birth while on the way to the hospital. _Inside him._

There was just something so gratifying about the whiteness of the girls face.

_At least I'm not the one being embarrassed._ He thought.

"Oh… God…" she mumbled, "So.. Aunt Mikaela gave birth- _inside_ of you?" she stammered.

Bumblebee shook his head, "No. Sam got her out after her fluids came out."

"Her water broke." Grace said absently.

Ironhide shook his head, "I don't understand the names humans give to things that happen. Water can't break. Ice can break, but not water."

Grace sighed, sitting back on her butt, "Nevermind." She said, waving her hand in his general direction.

"Human gestation is an amazing process." Ratchet said. He had been listening to the conversation, but was looking up information form the internet involving the event, "You keep this tiny fetus inside yourselves until it's healthy enough to survive on its own. Live birth." He said calmly, "messy, but amazing."

Liz snorted, and reached in her back pocket for her packet of cigarettes. Since Optimus was busy with Lennox and Sam, she figured it would be alright to sneak just one while he was out of shot.

"You sound displeased." Ratchet said, looking at the older woman, who had pulled a folding chair out into the grass.

"I've had three kids. Messy doesn't even _begin_ to describe it." She said with a smirk, "_Excruciating_ is a bit closer to the mark. But then, my waters never broke, either." She said as an afterthought.

_I'm talking about birth with a bunch of robots and an old lady… Someone save me!_ Grace pleaded to the powers that be.

Bumblebee looked at Liz, "Mikaela never mentioned the pain after she got back from the hospital."

Ironhide watched the old woman take a deep breath from her cigarette, and blow the smoke from her nostrils. "No. Once everything's over, the pain is just… I don't know. An afterthought." She shrugged, "I know that th' pain didn't bother me at all once I had my boys in my arms."

"Three boys?" Grace asked, "I bet your place was never quiet."

Liz fell quiet, "I did have three." She said, "But I lost my two oldest back in oh-five." She took another deep drag of her cigarette.

Grace was quiet, thinking back to history, "They were in the war?" she asked.

Liz nodded, and then suddenly smiled, "But they're in a much better place now." She said, "And that was a long time ago. Before you were born, I'd bet."

Grace nodded.

Optimus knelt next to Liz, "We've spoken about this habit of yours." He said calmly.

"I've been smoking for fifty years, Optimus. Quitting cold turkey isn't an option." She said, removing the cigarette from her mouth to put it out. Liz sounded tired of the argument, but she put the object out on the heel of her shoe before the Autobot leader could say anything else to her.

The rest of the day was smooth and quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.

* * *

It wasn't until much later in the evening that Grace found out just _why_ everyone was so quiet.

Sitting up in the guest room, reading a book that she borrowed from her Aunt, Grace suddenly heard the voices of the Autobots.

She snuck to the window, sitting under the pane, so as not to be seen, while she listened.

"Two beacons." Optimus said, "They are both with Autobot ecryption and frequencies." He assured, "But with things being as-"

"They would never know our encryptions and frequencies, Optimus." Ironhide argued, "It would be safe for us to go to them."

"Not so safe as you think, friend." Optimus hesitated, clearly, from what Grace could hear, "The Lennox's and the Witwicky's would be left unprotected. After the incident with the Decepticons, We cannot risk such a thing."

Everyone was quiet.

Grace felt her heart drop when Ironhide said;

"I will go with you."

Bumblebee's soft voice replied, "I will watch over the Lennox's while he's gone."

Someone grunted, "I will go, in case they are in need of repairs."

Ratchet.

Grace held her breath as Ironhide spoke again, "Lennox will understand that you're going to need someone with you."

"Grace might not." Bumblebee said.

Another grunt, though recognizably Ironhides'. "Grace will understand." He said, "She is surprisingly intelligent. She will understand the reasons."

Grace put her broken fingers to her mouth, trying not to think about Ironhide leaving.

When had she grown so attached to him anyway? He was rude, intolerable-

_And he's part of the family_ she thought, _Like a big brother I never had, Overprotective, overbearing and altogether sweet when he wants to be._

"The United States Army will not understand our sudden disappearance- and then reappearing with two more of our kind… They will feel as though we are invading."

Grace shook her head from where she sat.

"One of us against the decepticons is not good odds, though, Optimus," said Ratchet, "If they find out that we're tracking back for more Autobots, they may take advantage."

"Even with the weapons that we helped create to defend themselves…" Ironhide agreed, "They would be easily overpowered."

There was a deep sigh.

A moment of deep thought.

"Ironhide, you're with me. Ratchet, I want you to stay behind to help defend the humans, should the decepticons decide to attack."

To Grace's surprise, the med-officer didn't argue.

"Ironhide- Rollou-"

"Ironhide?" Grace was standing at her window, "You're leaving now?" she asked.

The four Autobots stared at Grace, standing on the second story window.

Grace almost saw the surprise register in the Optics of the mech. He took a step towards her, "You've been listening." He said.

She nodded, "You're going to go find more of your kind." She said, "Right?"

He nodded.

"I want to go with you."

"Absolutely not!" Ironhide said quickly, "This is not a mission for you."

Grace blinked, "But… I want to help."

"You can help by staying _here_, where it's safe." He argued, pointing at her with his thick metal-flesh finger, "I don't want you to be tagging along when there could be potential threats."

Everyone else was silent.

Then Grace said it. "So instead, you'll leave me here where there might be another attack? Just how much use do you think I'll be to mom and Dad like this?" she pointed, using her two broken fingers to her arm. She wasn't wearing her sling, but she was still holding up against her chest.

_You stubborn, stupid, organic creature!!_

When he didn't reply, Grace looked triumphant, "You don't have an answer to that one, do you?"

"Your father will not agree with your idea." Ironhide said, suppressing his irritation, "And you are wasting our time. We must find out if these are more of our companions."

"I'm coming with you." Grace said, and turned away from the window, grabbing the sling she had been wearing from the nightstand, and throwing it over her head, as she settled her arm in it.

"Is she always like this?" asked Ratchet, keeping his eyes on the window.

Ironhide growled, rumbling deep in his chest, "Yes. All. The. Time." He looked back to Optimus, "You must have _something_ to say about this, Optimus."

The other robot thought for a long moment, his eyes registering odds and favors. He heaved a sigh, "I—Cannot think of a reason that either would be a bad idea." He said frankly, "She is right. If there were another attack, she would be unable to defend herself."

_Just whose side are you on anyway!?_ Ironhide wanted to scream, _The girl is insane!_

"Just as if she were with us, there would be no way for her to defend herself, either." Optimus added, "The only bonus to her being with us would be that if there were an attack here that she would not slow them down in defense."

Ironhide hated his leader sometimes.

And when the girl came out the front door of the quiet house, he found himself hating her even moreso. He heaved a deep sigh, "Get underfoot, and I wont hesitate to step on you." He muttered sourly.

Grace looked up at him. She shifted her backpack on her shoulders, "I'm not going to be in the way." She said.

Her nervous system was registering a kind of shock.

_Of course,_ Ironhide thought, _I've never spoken to her that way before._

Optimus shook his head, transforming, compacting down, until he was the blue and red painted Mack. Ironhide followed suite, opening the passenger door to the girl. She climbed in. Looking up at Bumblebee, she said;

"Tell Daddy I'll be back." She smiled weakly. _He's going to be ready to skin me when I get back. _She thought.

"Rollout." She heard Optimus say. And then they sped off into the darkness.

* * *

_**So- I was supposed to go into the show this morning and set up. Someone else was going to watch my table until I could get in this afternoon. **_

_**Except my **_**BRILLIANT**_** husband forgot to wake me up this morning so I could drive him into work. So that I would have the car. So that I COULD set up this morning.**_

_**Yeah.**_

_**And my shipment is STUCK with UPS- God only knows why. They don't seem to know either. --**_

_**Someone save me from the stupidity PLEASE!!!**_


	22. Hound and Flareup

Standing up in the middle of the cool woods, he glanced around his surroundings. The intake of information was nothing new- he'd always been one of the best scouts there were, even back on Cybertron.

The barren metal wastes that were Cybertron, however, held no more glory for him. It held no more interest, or beauty.

It held nothing more than painful war memories.

But _this_ place. This green, bio-sphere, with all of it's natural beauty was almost awe inspiring.

Hound smiled to himself, scanning the area of a suitable form. He crept up to a road, where he heard the familiar rumbling of machinery.

Scanning the metal, wires and mechanics, he found himself satisfied.

_A terrain vehicle with easy maneuverability,_ he though, as he changed, shifting and molding. The dark green of the vehicle tinted his metal-flesh, _Ah, Mitsubishi Jeep- Classification J24. Diesel engine. _

He began to scan for any electronic databases. He found the World wide web.

_Fairly old, for human standards, but not completely out of the ordinary._ He thought, _Used to be military issue in a country called… Japan. Where am I?_ The information came to him as he registered the star charts of several thousand websites.

_United States of America- Arkansas. County of Marion._ He took mental stock of the surrounding areas.

"_Hound? Is that you?"_ The familiar whistles and pitches of Cybertronian reached him, _"There are no terrestrial vehicles in the vicinity for me to scan."_

"_This area seems to be fairy deserted."_ Agreed Hound, _"But I think I've picked up something on my sensors, Coming point four due south."_

"_Got it."_

"_Hey, Flareup, can you try _not_ to scare them?"_ Hound was only kidding, of course. The fembot was quite adept to what she did.

"_Sure, sure, Hound." _He could hear the smile in her voice.

She was always smiling.

A few moments later, a lone biker sped past. He never noticed the scan from Flareup, who soon, shifted and formed herself to the new shape.

Moments later, her metal flesh was tinged with red and yellow-gold, as she shrank into the form of the motorcycle. _"Not bad. The human had taste- from their 'internet' I've found this form to be quite attractive. Made by a company called 'Honda'. Model- Valkerie Rune- quite the name, from what I can see on the databases of this planet."_

Hound revved his engine, _"The beacon signal came approximately one-thousand, seven-hundred of the measuring unit 'miles' from here."_

"_Do we wait for Prime, or do we ride?"_

Hound calculated the options for both before deciding that it would probably be better if they remained, _"We sent out beacons- He will be on his way."_

* * *

Grace was silent for nearly the entire first twenty-four hours that they road. Only twice had she spoken up- both of those times had been in desperate use of the nearest washroom facilities.

Ironhide had grumbled about her wasting their time, but he stopped anyway.

Now sitting in the passenger side of the transformed Autobot, Grace watched the hologram that sat in the drivers' seat.

He was more or less apathetic to the entire thing. His blank face was little comfort to the teen as she opened her backpack for the third time that day.

Pulling out the jar of peanut butter that she'd filched from the cabinets, she began to dip in bits of bread and eat them- so as not to make a mess.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" she said, finally, swallowing a bite.

"What makes you say that?" The tone of his voice hinted that Grace had indeed, figured out the source of Ironhides foul mood.

"Nothing." She muttered, suddenly feeling a bit grouchy herself.

"I didn't want you to come because I wanted to make sure you'd be safe." He said. The hologram didn't bother looking her way.

Grace had the sneaking suspicion that it didn't matter- Ironhide could probably see her anyway.

"I-" she had nothing to say to that. She wanted to tell him that she'd wanted to go with him to make sure that he came back home. It wouldn't have been a lie, but it wasn't the real reason she'd joined.

A red sports car passed them easily on the interstate and zipped off beyond sight.

Ironhide sighed, "You what?"

Grace sighed, and shook her head, sinking into the comfort of his seats. "Nothing." She muttered again.

"Your father is going to have Ratchet take me apart for letting you come with me."

Grace felt like laughing at him, "You? He's going to pull the skin right off my bones." She re-capped the peanut butter, and shoved it back into her bag, "Oh. And ground me until I'm ready for retirement."

"I'm not going to say you don't deserve it."

"Bugger off on you too." She patted the seat gently.

"Kidnapping is an offense that would leave most humans in jail."

"You're not human, are you?" Grace snorted, "And I came on my own volition."

"You're a minor."

"If I told you to #$ off, would you?"

"I'm not human, so no."

They both became uncomfortably silent for another six hours.

Grace had fallen asleep in his front seat by the time Ironhide and Optimus crossed the border into Arizona. He snaked the seatbelt around her middle to make sure she wouldn't get injured if he had to stop suddenly.

In the sixteen years he'd been a part of the Lennox family, he had seen Grace sleep many times. Family vacations did that to her. Camping trips, when she'd sleep in his bed- and now recently.

Her biological signs were over-active lately, when she slept.

"_Optimus, Does Liz sleep in you?"_ he finally asked, over the communications link.

"_Yes. She spends most of her time on the road- She is accustomed to sleeping in the cab of her old truck. I assume she's so comfortable with it, that it comes as second nature."_

Ironhide was quiet for a long time.

"_Is something bothering you, friend?"_ asked the Autobot leader, _"You seem perturbed."_

"_She demanded to come with us."_

Though Optimus Prime was in his truck form, Ironhide could almost see him thinking.

"_I think she might- I think she _is_ growing attached to me."_ He said, finally.

"_Are you so uncomfortable with that, Ironhide?"_ Optimus pulled up next to him. They kept a steady speed with one another,_ "You've shown the rest of us that you are fond of the youngling. Why would this suddenly change?"_

Ironhide checked Graces' vital signs again, before returning to the conversation at hand, _"Nearly every night for two months, she came out and slept in my bed. She spends nearly all her time outside- with me."_

"_Curiosity is a natural obligation for humans."_

"_She doesn't always want to talk."_

Optimus felt like sighing, _"I still don't understand your discomfort."_

"_Lennox was never like this. Neither was Sarah."_ Ironhide said gruffly, _"I'm not… I don't know what to make of it."_

"_What is there to make of it? To her, you are a friend."_

"_She's relying on me for comfort Optimus. I-"_

Grace suddenly groaned in her sleep, causing Ironhide to turn his sensors inward again.

"…please.." she mumbled. Everything else was unintelligible.

"_I think she has problems sleeping- Humans call them nightmares."_ The worry in his voice was evident, _"We have memories in our sleep- our processors resend the information from our memory cores. But human nightmares are so much more complex."_

Grace shifted. Ironhide loosened the seatbelt enough for her to do so, but not enough to be unsafe.

"Ironhide?" she mumbled.

"It's alright. I'm here." He said, his voice resonating in the cab.

She became still again.

"_You don't seem to have a problem comforting her."_ Optimus pointed out, _"She seems to be very comfortable around you."_

"_I guess."_ And that was the end of the conversation.

* * *

_**Well, for those of you kind folks who wished me so much luck, I want to thank you. It meant a lot to me. **_

_**But all the same, the show was bust. I wasn't able to sell a **_**thing**_**. I **_**still**_** don't have my fat-quarter shipment. UPS didn't even bother trying to deliver yesterday- when I called them to rip new $$holes, they said that they didn't even put it on the truck to be delivered. No.**_

_**They were going to send it all the way back to freaking CALGARY. That's a two hour drive from here!? Do these idiots really expect me to drive two hours to pick up a package that should have been to me two days ago? Yes. Apparently, they do.**_

_**And apparently, they can go to hell. Because I'm. Not. Doing it.**_

_**So yeah. The show is over. I wasted a weeks worth of time, money and effort, and UPS basically pissed all over me. **_

_**Anyway, I'm back on the writing wagon- no worried about crap coming up any time soon. Yay! (Kat)**_


	23. Calling Home

Grace rubbed her face with her palm. "Oh god.. a house made of poison waffles.." she muttered, "No more peanut butter for me." She opened her eyes, sitting up to look out the windows.

"A house made of food?" Ironhide querried suddenly, "Is that what you were dreaming of?"

Grace nodded meekly, "A house made of _poison_ food."

"It was a…. bad dream then. A nightmare?" Ironhide prodded.

She nodded again, "Yeah. A weird one, at that." She couldn't help but notice that he was in a better attitude, "You're not mad anymore?"

Ironhide hesitated, thinking on the question. In some ways, yes, he was still upset with her for being such a pain in his aft. But, he was starting to understand why she did it.

She merely wanted to be with him.

And if Optimus felt it was safe, then he couldn't think of another reason to be irate with her. Except he was. And he couldn't really help it.

But all the same, she was here now, and they were nearly in the state of Oklahoma. Beore the next day was out, they would be within communications range of the two autobots that had landed.

_I hope_. Ironhide sped up back to the interstate speed limit. Optimus came up behind him, and sped around him. As the two traded places between leader and follower, Ironhide felt himself relax a little bit.

"Grace, Are you feeling alright?"

Grace smiled a little bit, "Yeah. I'm just thinking about mom and Dad and all." She picked at the seam of her shirt, feeling a little bit like she needed a shower. Really. Really. Badly.

"You are concerned for their welfare?"

"Yeah… And I'm scared that they'll be really worried about me."

Ironhide grunted, his holographic figure made a face, "You _did_ run away." He said, "But Your father knows that I will not let anything happen to you."

"I have to use the bathroom." She said suddenly.

Ironhide obliged.

"_Optimus, Grace needs to use facilities-"_

"_It's fine, We should stop and get some rest- I'm feeling the wear of these past couple of days right now."_

"_I'm sure Grace could use a good meal, as well." _Ironhide added as an afterthought, _"She's been eating peanut butter and bread the whole time- humans are not accustomed to such long periods of the same foods."_

Grace watched Optimus pull off on an exit. Ironhide followed. "How do you two know what you're doing?" she asked, her curiosity piqued, "Do you have, like, a link or something?"

"We have communications channels, yes." Ironhide responded, "It isn't always prudent for us to communicate aloud in these forms."

"What about when you're, you know, transformed?"

"We speak aloud."

"Weird."

"Everything is weird to you."

As they pulled into a rest-area, Grace felt Ironhide fall into a softer mode on his engine. "Optimus and I need rest. Go get some food, and come back out when you're ready." He suddenly realized what he was saying, "Just don't take too long."

Grace nodded, digging through her backpack for her wallet. She didn't have a lot of money- but as she hadn't been shopping in weeks, and her father had continued to give her allowance, she had a bit.

"Alright. I think I'm going to try calling mom and dad, too." She said, leaving the backpack on the seat, "I shouldn't be too long."

As she slipped out of the truck, Grace suddenly found herself immersed in a semi-warm atmosphere. She'd forgotten that there were places in this world that were not quite as warm as her own home.

She wished suddenly she'd brought a sweater. Come nightfall, she'd be chilly for certain.

_Well, maybe not. I'll be in Ironhide._ She thought, _I know the he heats up._

When she was finished getting some food, Grace ventured to a payphone near the back of the tiny rest-stop restaurant.

Slipping in a couple of quarters, she dialed the phone number to the Witwicky household.

Sam picked up.

"Witwicky-"

"Uncle Sam?"

"Grace?!" the surprise in his voice was evident, "Bee said you left with Ironhide! Do you have _any_ idea how worried we've all been about you?!"

"Is that Grace?" She heard in the background. The phone noisily switched hands. Her fathers' stern voice was the next thing she heard.

"When you get home, I'm grounding you 'till Kingdom come!" he barked into the receiver, "Leaving with Ironhide without even telling us?! _What_ were you thinking?!" he stopped to take a breath, "Your mother has been worried _sick _about you!"

"Daddy, I…"

"No! I've let you get away with a lot of things Annabelle Grace Lennox- but this is the last straw! Don't you get it? Everything your mother and I do is for your own protection! Don't you understand? That Decepticon was going to _kill_ you!"

Grace felt frustration well up in her chest. She also felt a sense of wrongdoing fell deep into her stomach. She'd done the wrong thing, demanding to go with Ironhide. As a result, her mother was worried about her, and her father was livid.

"Bumblebee told me you're with Optimus and Ironhide." He sighed from the other side of the phone.

"I'm not _stupid_, Daddy." She half muttered to the receiver, "I wouldn't just-"

"At least they were willing to protect you." Her mothers' voice came in on the second line of the Witwicky household, "Thank God you're safe."

"I'm sorry." Grace mumbled, humility setting in, "I just… I felt like if something happened and Ironhide wasn't there- I'd be in the way. I'd be useless." Her face burned red with humiliation.

Neither her mother, nor her father spoke for a moment.

"Hello?" Grace wondered if her coins had timed out.

Finally, her mother sighed, "Gracie, honey- I know you were thinking about us, too. But- there were other, _better_ ways to go about it. You could have asked us."

"Daddy would've said no."

Her father grunted into the phone, "That's not the point." He said, the edge only half gone from his voice. Now that he'd heard from her and knew she was safe, he was still angry- but not quite as much so, "The point is that we didn't hear from you for two days. There was no way for us to know if something happened."

"I know." It was all she could manage, as her voice cracked.

"But we're glad you're safe. Your father and I knew that you would be." Her mothers soothing voice didn't help Graces burning eyes and nose.

She was going to cry.

"I'm sorry."

"Grace. You have to remember that we're your parents, and we worry about you. We love you, baby." Her mother said, "But, oh yes, you are in an enormous amount of trouble."

"You'd better thank God you're too old for a good ass whooping." Her father grumbled.

"I know." God, why couldn't she control the squeaky, creakiness of her voice?

"But I'm glad you're safe. There's nobody I'd trust more with you."

Something about hearing her father say that made Grace feel better, even if only a fraction so.

"You'd better call us again." He commanded. His voice had reached U.S. Army Major mode. It was the one that _nobody_ disobeyed. Grace dared not make any remarked to suggest that she might do otherwise.

"Yes, Sir." She mumbled.

"Tell Ironhide that I'm going to have Ratchet pull him apart from the circuitry up."

"Yes, Sir."

"Are you eating ok?"

Grace was quiet for a moment before muttering, "I took Auntie Mikaelas' peanut butter. And her bread. And a couple of water bottles."

Her father groaned. Not only had his only daughter run off to meet new aliens- but she'd stolen food from friends who were nearly family!

"Oh Grace." Her mother sighed.

"I… have to go." She mumbled sheepishly, "My time is about up." She was lying, but she couldn't take the humiliation any longer.

"We love you, Gracie." Her father said, his voice still holding the same stern tone.

"I love you too, Daddy. I love you Momma." She whispered into the phone before hanging up.

And then she excused herself to the bathroom to cry.

_**Wow. Another chapter- Here we go again with quick updates! Yay for ya'll!!**_


	24. Too Friendly?

When Grace came out of the Rest-stop, she was white in the face, but her eyes and nose were red.

She walked out to Ironhide as calmly as she could, and reached for the passenger door. There was a faint click as it opened to greet her.

"Did something happen?" Ironhide's voice sounded worried. The hologram came to life. It was looking at her, eyes full of concern, "Your bio-signs are reading that you've been very upset."

"Just… I don't want to talk about it, ok?" Grace said softly. Her voice was full of something unfamiliar to Ironhide.

"You called your mother and father?"

"Uh-huh." The engine started smoothly, alerting Optimus.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Daddy said to tell you that he was going to have Ratchet take you apart from the circuits up." She mumbled, drawing her knees to her chin, as Ironhide slipped the belt around her.

"I knew he was going to be angry." He said, almost sounding as though he meant to say 'I told you so'.

Grace made a sound in her throat, as though to agree, but said nothing, as she looked out the window. She watched Optimus pull out from beside them. A hologram of an older man was sitting in the drivers seat.

_He looks like that old country music singer_, she thought, _Willie what-ever._

Her face was burning, as she put her head back into her knees. She shut her eyes, feeling the smooth movement of Ironhide pulling out of the parking lot to follow Optimus Prime.

Ironhide suddenly realized that Grace had said nothing in reply to his remark. It was unusual for her to not smart a comment back to him when he said something so obvious.

"He is angry with you," he said, "But he knows you're safe."

Grace said nothing. "I don't want to talk about it." Her muffled voice came from her knees.

"You shouldn't have been so stubborn."

Still, she said nothing.

_I don't know what Lennox said to her, but he must have really straightened her bolts out._ The Autobot thought, _she's _really_ upset._

Grace said nothing else throughout the rest of the day, and on into the evening.

* * *

It was Hound who first noticed that there were humans nearby. He had heard the sounds of them laughing and joking around.

In his transformed state, he could only take in limited information- it was hard to see too terribly far when you were stuck in a certain position.

_Two males,_ he thought, _One older, one younger. _He began to look up information on the internet, _father and son? These biological beings give life birth. Interesting. _

"Son, I told you- you swing it in too far, and you'll keep hitting it into the Foul." The older man said. According to his biological signs, he was probably a quarter _vorn_ older than the child.

The younger boy, with his messy blonde patch of hair, held a metal bat up again. He looked over at his father, "Ok, Dad." He made a circular motion with the bat, "I'm ready."

_What are they doing?_

In the backyard of a home that neither Hound, nor Flareup had noticed, the two were playing baseball. As the crack of the ball and bat echoed through the woods, Hound found himself fascinated by the idea.

_Baseball,_ A quick search proved this game to be interesting, _Goal- to hit the ball out of reach of the other team. Gain the most points by sending men around the bases._ He scanned the yard, _Except, I see no bases._

He searched the internet again, _Perhaps they are simply practicing?_

Hound had no time to ponder on that thought, as the force from the ball hit his windshield.

_Slag! He hit me!_

He heard the low chortle of a motorcycle engine nearby, "_He got you good, Hound._" He heard Flareup over his communications channel, _"Good thing it's not made of something tougher- he would have cracked your glass."_

The ball had rolled a few feet away from Hound.

The sounds of metal shifting and gears whirring left Flareup surprised, _"Hound! What the Matrix are you doing?!"_

"_Giving his ball back."_ He responded. The whistles and notes of Cybertronian escaped his lips no more than mere seconds before he heard;

"I got it, Dad!"

Seth Sharp entered the woods as calmly as he always had. At seventeen, he knew everything there was to know about the woods surrounding his home.

Hound was running a quick search on the language that the boy had used.

_English- English slang. His accent is what humans would consider, 'Southern'. _Hound began to download all the information he could find on 'Southern' English.

By the time Seth had come within fifteen feet of Hound, he had it all figured out.

"_You're insane!"_

Hound didn't respond, "Hey there, son." He knelt, the tiny ball between his fingers, "I think this here's yours."

Seth stared. The massive creature before him looked only vaguely like a mash of metal and parts from a vehicle. But not enough so.

"What th'hell!?" He shouted, stumbled back, "What're you?!"

"Hey, hey, take it easy, partner. I'm not gonna hurt you." He offered the ball again.

_Dear sweet gramma. It's a freakin' alien!_ Seth stared, trembling, "What th'hell'r you?"

"I am an autonominus-"

"Say what?"

"I'm what ya'll'd consider a robot." Hound found himself dumbing down his terms the best he could.

"A robot?" Seth stared at the creature hard, "You're... huge." He took another step back, "Uh. Don't eat me." He smiled nervously.

Hound took note of the boy's biological readings. "Hey, hey. I'm not gonna hurt ya'." He lifted his hands in what he thought would be a harmless gesture.

Unfourtunatly, this involved him pulling up to his full height.

"Ah Shit!" Seth shouted, suddenly dodging off through the trees.

"Hey! Wait! I'm not gonna hurt you!" Hound took a few steps in the direction that the boy had begun to run. He stumbled, taking down a slender dogwood tree with him.

"What did I do wrong?"

"_You're four times his size, you idiot. What do _you_ think?" _Flareup demanded with a snicker, _"I'd be scared too. I mean, look at you!"_

"I don't look nearly as bad as-" he stopped talking when he heard the boy he'd scared off running into the house.

He was saying words that weren't registered in the database Hound currently had access to.

"I think he took it pretty roughly. I was trying to be polite." He said, turning back to Flareup.

"_Yeah- we all know how sweet you are, Hound, but all the same, we probably look like creepy metal monsters to them. Have you looked at these stories they have online? I mean, really. They think that aliens are out to take parts of them back home."_

"_That's_ a bit creepy."

"_Why are you still speaking their language?"_

Hound shrugged, as he heard a screen door open and then slam shut. "Sounds like he got interested, tho."

"A giant _robot_?"

"It called it'self an auto-somethin'."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

As the two males came tromping into the woods, Hound wondered just how they'd take it if he asked Flareup to change as well.

* * *

_**Short chapter- just trying something out with Hound and Flareup. If you don't know about the two of them, check them out on the Wiki. They're interesting characters that I hope will be just as entertaining as the rest have been so far. I'd lvoe to know what you think!**_

_**Also! I just want to get down on my knees and thank EVERYONE for the amazing number of reviews I've gotten since I stared 'Iron and Grace'. I am so flattered, I don't even know what to do with myself! I hope that I don't let ya'll down!!**_

_** (Kat)  
**_

_**  
**_


	25. Finally There

Grace, still silent, finally uncurled herself from her fetal position. She stretched her legs, and looked out the window.

Trees from the two lane highway zipped past. They were in some place in Arkansas. The night sky was dark above them- no stars, no moon. Just clouds.

Somewhere along the lines, she though she'd heard thunder. She cuddled into the seat.

"Ironhide?"

He was almost surprised at her sudden voice, "Yes, Grace?"

"I'm really impulsive, aren't I?"

"Yes. You are."

Grace nodded, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you."

She shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I think… I think I really screwed up." She put her hand on his dashboard and stroked it gently, "I'm sorry I was such a pain in your ass."

"Your father must have really been hard on you."

Grace shook her head again, "No. I'm just being what my friends would call," she shuddered, "_Emo_. I hate that word." She mumbled.

Ironhide didn't respond. However, he suddenly made a sharp left turn onto a dirt road.

He didn't bother using the com-line to tell Optimus, "I have the signal!"

Grace braced herself against Ironhides insides. The bumpiness of the dirt road was not to be unmatched by the speed of which Ironhide used to go down said road.

The potholes were making Graces stomach flip.

"C-c-can we-e slow d-d-d-down?" she asked, as she was tossed around easily from within the cab.

Ironhide didn't reply.

He came to a complete stop, crubing himself easily and toping Grace right out of the passenger side door and onto the ground.

Within moments the sound of metal meshing and forming to a new shape and stopped, and Ironhide was standing in his full twenty-six foot tall glory. His cannons spun into place, ready for any action required. "Stay here." He commanded Grace calmly.

He didn't seem disturbed at all.

Optimus had transformed as he was driving, his large feet dwarfing poor Grace as she moved quickly out of squashing range.

"I have a lock on the signal- one of them seems to be a lot like- Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it _was_ a femme beacon." Ironhide felt his spark flicker, the dim hope of his Chromia coming to mind.

"I think you may be right, Ironhide." Optimus said calmly, "Let's find out."

Grace looked up at the two giants above, "I'll be here when you're done."

_She's actually obeying_, thought Ironhide, _This is new._ He nodded down at her, "We wont be long."

Upon Flareup's suggestion, both she and Hound had hidden themselves from the two humans that had come back into the woods looking for them.

Hound wasn't pleased, but he understood why Flareup had preferred they wait for Optimus. He didn't argue.

So several hours after the incident with him scaring the boy, the two of them were parked along two cow tracks in the woods, waiting for a response from their beacons. The response came sooner than anticipated.

A sudden communications frequency was opened- over it, the voice of Optimus Prime spoke to them.

"_We are looking for you."_

That was the end of the message.

"_I will send you our coordinates- though it may be better for us to meet you, Optimus Prime,"_ Flareup responded, _"Both Hound and I have acquired mechanical look-alikes for recon."_ As usual, her smile showed through everything unseen.

Ironhide blinked. No. It hadn't been Chromia. All the same, however, he was nearly as glad to hear the voice of Flareup on the other end of communications. The Femme was one of the closest to his counterpart. News –if there was any- would be easy to glean from her, cheery creature that she was. She'd be almost overjoyed to let him in on the happenings since they had left in search of the Cube.

"_Ratchet will be happy to hear your voice again, Flareup."_ He couldn't help himself. Flareup and Ratchet had never really hit it off.

Well, really, Ratchet had never hit it off with _her_. She'd been just fine with _him_. Actually, Flareup was happy with just about anyone and anything that came her way- so long as she was allowed to continue her demolition work.

Ratchet, on the other hand, was not so fond of the frequent patch-up jobs he had to give the poor femme, who seldom cared for her own safety when she was caught up in her work.

Optimus looked at Ironhide, "I have the coordinates- let's move." He motioned for the weapons specialist to follow.

* * *

Grace sat on the ground, the air chillier than she'd thought it would be, an the ground damp from what she assumed had been recent rains. She looked up at the sky, dark, uninviting.

Then she shuddered. "I hate the woods." She whispered, "Too freakin' creepy." Her mind wandered back to all the slasher horror movies she'd snuck down the hall to watch while her mother and father snuggle on the couch.

When she was a kid, such things excited her- after all, she was being bad, _and_ she wasn't being caught as she did it. _Freddy_, _Chucky_, _Dawn of the Dead_ and _The Horrors of Number Five_were things she loved at that age- though unallowed to watch.

They _always_ gave her nightmares. And the black and white ones were the worst! Every Wednesday night, her father would turn the television to the Movie Network, and watch two or three of the nearly ancient black and white horror films.

The memories of _The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari_, and _The Wolf Man_, reminded Grace that things were not always so nice out in nature, at night, alone.

She suddenly wished for the comfort of Ironhides protection. She trembled with a chill, and listened to the wind in the trees above her. Chills ran straight down her spine when she heard the rustling of underbrush nearby.

Holding her breath and crossing herself, she watched in horror as the bush nearby moved-

A raccoon snuck out. It looked around, ignoring her, and scurried off.

_You stupid, paranoid loser._ Grace thought, letting her breath go. Still, an old scene from _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ made her shudder with fear, displaced as it was.

"Oh my God, I'm being a complete _freak_," she muttered aloud, "Get a _grip_, Grace. There are no such things as aliens." She rethought that, "Except the big mechanical ones that change into cars and shit." She almost felt like laughing.

All the same, however, the sooner Ironhide and Oprimus Prime got back- the better!

* * *

_**When I was a kid, I really did used to sneak down the hall and keep around the corner to watch old scary movies that my Mom and Step-Dad said were too scary for me. And yes, he used to watch the old black and whites when they came on. I mean, the colour ones were scary too! **__**Children of the Damned**__** and **__**City of the Dead**__**Those two were surefire ways to give me nightmares!**_

_**But the old Bl;ack and whites always scared me more. I guess it was because the blood wasn't that old pink-ish colour. I always told myself, as I got older, that it was just strawberry syrup- but it always looked so much more real in black and white than in colour. **_

_**Anyway- Next chapter… Well, You'll see. (Kat)**_


	26. Short Chat in the Rain

_God, Where _are_ they?!_ Grace shuddered, rubbing her arms.

Just about the time that she thought that, she heard the familiar rumble of vehicles. Coming from the woods was a motorcycle- with nobody on it.

Grace screamed- her mind still active with the movies she'd seen as a child. She suddenly realized, however, that this was a familiar scenario-

_An Autobot?_ She wondered, suddenly scrambling to hide, _or one of those more wicked creatures?_

The motorcycle suddenly began to shift, transforming into a slender robot with blinking blue eyes.

The thunderous roar of a GMC Topkick was welcome to Graces ears. If this robot was one of the ones that would prefer her as a smudge on the ground- Ironhide would be able to protect her!

"Grace." Ironhide transformed quickly, his body forming from the black vehicle, "This is-"

"I'm Flareup." The Autobot, whose voice seemed to be of the female nature, knelt, blinking at Grace. She was much smaller than the other Autobots Grace had seen thus far, easily only nine or ten feet, "You don't have to hide from me." She made a smile- the metal notably twisting upwards, "I'm with them." She gestured back to Ironhide.

Within moment, Optimus and a second unidentified vehicle came from the woods. They both transformed. Grace backed away, her legs stiff from the wait.

"Damn." She muttered, "So- I have a question," she raised her hand, classroom style, "Where are you guys going to stay?"

"I am female." Flareup said, "And we had not discussed that, thus far."

Grace didn't bother explaining the fact that 'guys' was merely a reference to the two of them.

"Wow- Yer so much shorter than the adolescent male I encountered." Hound peered at Grace, examining her, "Did Ironhide call you Grace?" he tilted his head, "Grace- of your _Latin_ origin. Meaning; favored, blessing. Also the names of the three _Greek_ Goddesses-"

"Hound." Ironhide sighed, "I am certain that the reasoning behind her name-"

"Sorry man." Hound apologized, "It's just that, well, ya'lls human cultures are so interesting. You _all_ share the meanings of your names and pass them on from generation to generation." He was searching the internet again.

"I'm not short." Grace grumbled, "I'm _average_. There's a difference."

Flareup laughed, the sound startling Grace. She had never heard Ironhide laugh, as far as she could remember. Chuckle, sure. Even make that rumbling noise in his chest- but never laugh.

It had never occurred to her that they were able to do such a thing.

"What… What's so funny?" the blonde girl rubbed her arms.

"You remind me of someone I know."

Grace didn't ask.

"We should begin the ride back," Ironhide said sternly, "Grace's mother and father are very worried."

"Pissed."

Ironhide didn't say anything about that, but instead, stood behind her, shifting himself through the trees.

Oprimus shook his head, "No. We all need rest." He encouraged, "We will rest tonight- get in a cycle, and in the morning, we will-"

Rain suddenly broke from the clouds like a waterfall- the hard drops of water against the metal of the four Autobots created a deafening racket that made Grace cringe.

"Rollout." Finished Optimus. The words barely left his mouth before Hound was in his Jeep disguise, rolling down the dirt road, mud flying behind him.

When Flareup transformed, Grace shook his head, stepping back towards Ironhide, "Hey- You're going to look _really_ unusual with no rider."

"Unusual?" Flareup didn't bother doing anything for a moment.

"Yeah- you know like _'Ah! Haunted freakin' bike! Kill it! Kill it!'_ unusual." Grace said calmly, "Without a rider, you'll look strange and out of place."

Ironhide felt as though Graces analogy could have used some work- but it seemed to get the message through. A few moments of silence resulted in one internet search for what human 'bikers' looked like, and the buxom body of a female.

A red haired female without her helmet. "Well? Better?" Her eyes were a fine, glittering blue. They were almost as unearthly as her body.

Grace stared. "Woah." She blinked, "You're gonna be hit on _so_ much."

"Hit on?"

"Well, yeah! You're hot!" Grace wasn't able to hide the faint jealousy in her voice, "Most girls would do _anything_ to look like you." She suddenly shuddered in the rain, of which, she'd nearly forgotten about.

Flareup laughed again, "Too bad for them."

Grace shook her head. "My mother is gonna freak." She muttered. _And my Dad is going to tie me up and leave me in the basement for the rats to eat!_ Ah, punishment, she had not forgotten thee.

She sneezed.

As though realizing that Grace would be sick if she stayed in the nearly ice cold rain, Ironhide transformed, opening his door to her. "Get in." he said calmly, "We'll find a place to rest."

Grace nodded, climbing into the already warming cab.

"I'm glad you guys didn't take too long." She confessed, patting the dashboard gently with her wet hand.

"Was there a problem?"

Grace shook her head, "Nah. Just a lot of stupid old horror movies."

Ironhide didn't understand, "Horror movies?"

Grace laughed, "Nevermind, Ironhide." She rubbed her arms, trying to get warm after being chilled to the bone with rain.

They drove off down the dirt road, following the muddy path left behind by Hound.

* * *

_**I am so slow this week! I'm so sorry! New chapter tomorrow! (Yes! Really!) (kat)**_


	27. Home at Last

Bumblebee was the first to notice that they were coming. His sensors picked up the familiar signs of his leader, Optimus, and his comrade, Ironhide. However, the two new signals were unfamiliar.

Nick was sitting on his hood, rolling his matchbox cars across the smooth yellow paint.

"_Vroom-Vrooooooom_." Nick was making the only car noises he could think of, while occasionally making one car run over the other one, "_vroooooom- _Oh no! Ahh…"

He crashed the two cars together in front of himself, chatting away, as though he were both drivers.

"Nick," Bumblebee shuddered to get the boys attention, "I need you to get off me."

The boy stopped moving, clutching his cars tightly. "Okay." He slid to the end of the patient Autobot's hood, and made a little jump that left him on the gravel of the driveway.

Turning around, Nick watched Bumblebee change- his shifting metal body a constant source of curiosity for the young Witwicky.

Ratchet appeared from the other side of the house, Liz following calmly behind him.

"They must be coming home?" she asked, "Or else there's something bad on the way."

William stopped what he was doing, as he heard the sounds of transforming in the driveway. "She is completely and totally never allowed out of our sight again." He muttered, setting down the newspaper he'd been reading, and walking to the front door.

Sarah hurried along behind him, "I'm just glad she's home." She said calmly, as the sudden cannonade of vehicles reached them. The cloud of dust from the gravel settled as they each stopped, transforming.

Ironhide opened his door to Grace, before transforming, himself. She sheepishly stayed back as far as possible from the entirety of her fathers' sight. She'd seen him standing on the front porch with her mother.

_I'm. Toast._

"Glad to see you're all okay!" Liz smiled up at Optimus, "Though I confess, it was nice not hearing about my smoking constantly."

"She's lying. I continually told her the unacceptable choice her habit was." Ratchet all but sighed, "However, she is right. It is good to see you're all alright."

"You never change." Flareup smiled at the older autobot.

"Great Matrix- what have I done to deserve such punishment?" Ratchet reached up to cover his face, "Why, _why_ _**you**_ of all autobots?!"

Flareup patted his arm, "Aw, honey, I missed you too." She was still smiling.

"I am _not_ repairing you."

Flareup laughed at him.

"Grace?" her mother had spotted her trying to hide behind Ironhides' leg, "Grace! Honey! We were so worried about you!" she ran from the porch to her daughter, and wrapped her arms around her. Then she realized that her daughter smelled of wet dog and sour body.

"Dear God! You need a shower! Upstairs! Now!" she pointed, "And don't think for a second that you're out of the punishment from your father and I!" she shoved her daughter towards the house.

She walked quickly, until she reached her father. Completely back into Army Major mode, he looked down at her.

Grace suddenly felt two inches shorter. "Hi… daddy." She squeaked softly.

"Don't 'Hi Daddy' me. Get your ass upstairs, and when you're done with the shower, get it back down here. You have _no_ idea how much trouble you're in!" he crossed his arms as his only daughter walked past him, her eyes to the floor.

"William!" Sarah berated him once the girl was inside, "You can't tell her anything else?"

"Punishment first. Then love." He muttered, grumbling bitterly, "She made us worry sick over her." His eyes turned to the newcomers.

"So!" Sarah suddenly smiled as brightly as she could; "Who are the newest additions to our family?" she waved to Flareup, whose slender metal body gave way her femininity.

Ratchet snorted, "Do we have to keep them?" he asked sourly.

"Well, Howdy Ma'am. I'm Hound." The taller of the two newcomers smiled, and made a gesture of greet, "Reconnaissance." Sarah could swear he winked at her, "You need to know about it, I can probably find it out."

William made a face, "What's with the bad redneck impersonation?" he asked, scrunching his nose.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." William covered himself quickly. Why insult a robot three times your height if you didn't have to?

"And I'm Flareup, Demolitions expert." She smiled even broader.

"Demolition of _herself_." Ratchet added, his voice making it clear that he completely disapproved, "More injuries than any other Autobot in the entire-"

"You love me and you know it." Flareup said, half laughing.

"_Love_ has nothing to do with it."

Liz looked up at Optimus, "You know- I was worried about you." She crossed her arms, "You couldn't've said something before you left? You know, 'hey Liz, I'll be back in a week.' Or some such nonsense?" she demanded, "For all I knew, you could've been scrapped!"

Optimus found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't figure this human out! Were all females so bossy and intimidating at her age, or was it just Liz?

"Ratchet was-"

"Oh he told me. _After_ the fact." She tapped her foot.

"Don't test me, female!" Optimus finally found himself snapping. A week long ride to pick up two companions, he was safe, Ironhide was safe, Grace was safe, and _she _was griping at _him_?

"Or what? You gonna step on me?" Liz retaliated. She smiled at him.

He smiled back.

"What the hell was that? A lovers spat?" Sams' voice came from the side of the house, "The way she went on about you while you were gone, Optimus, I'd swear you two were married."

This earned him a hard look from Liz, "What the- What the _hell_?" she sputtered, "And just how do you think the fornication in _that_ relationship would work? Are you stupid, boy?"

Sam took a step back, "Uh- I didn't mean... Uh... oh God." He rubbed his eyes, "Don't ever mention that again, okay, Liz? I was just kidding."

Mikaela patted her husband on the back. "Oh, Sam." She laughed.

Liz looked perturbed for just a moment, as she pulled out her cigarettes and tapped the pack against her palm. "Stupid kid." She muttered, slipping a cigarette in her mouth and lighting up.

Optimus shook his head, "Sam, I'm afraid Liz doesn't have the same sense of humor you have."

"The hell I don't." she muttered, taking a deep drag from her cigarette.

"Auntie Liz! No smokes for you!" Nick shook his chubby little finger at the older woman.

"Auntie Liz is old enough that she can have her smokes if she wants them." The older woman smiled at the boy, but made sure not to blow smoke in his direction, "So long as she doesn't do it in the house."

"Auntie Liz?" he tugged on her t-shirt.

"Yes honey."

"What's for-ma-lac-tin?"

Sam nearly choked, "Wha-?! Liz!" he stared at the old woman.

"Go ask your daddy, sweetie." She patted his head, and sent Nick running to his father, who could only manage to sputter and stare.

Mikaela covered her mouth, hardly able to prevent from laughing.

"I hate you." Sam muttered, as he picked up his boy.

"Not supposed t'say that, Daddy!" Nick warned.

Sam could only sigh.

_**For those of you who had family, friends and loved ones on the Minnesota Bridge- Our prayers here go out to you.**_

_**I don't know why- but I just had to get this out there. The idea of Liz touching base on the human/autobot romantic relationship humored me to no end. She's an older woman with experience in the romantic department- so it only seemed suiting that she be the one to tell it as blatantly as possible!**_

_**Oh! Also: Please stay tuned for a one-shot Nick And Bee fic. (Should be up tomorrow afternoon). (kat)**_


	28. Talking

"No _nothing_." Grace mused, "Not that I had the means to anything beforehand. Oh. And did I mention that I'm not even allowed to go to the Winter Formal? You explain this to me, yeah? I'm not even going to school right now, and he _still_ says 'You're not going to any dances until next spring'. Like it makes a difference." She leaned against the side of the black truck in the driveway.

"You _did_ run off without his permission." Ironhide responded.

"Yeah- and he made me feel like shit before I even got home to listen to his punishment!" she huffed, "humiliating me in front of Auntie Mikaela and Uncle Sam was bad enough, if you ask me."

Ironhide didn't bother responding. Sometimes, the things she said made sense. Humiliation, he recognized, was a form of punishment of the worst kind.

Flareup was talking with Liz, their hushed voices not reaching Graces ears. From the look on Liz' face, odds are, she didn't _want_ to hear what was being said.

"Any news on those… _things_ that attacked us?" she changed the subject quickly, unwilling to talk about her lengthy punishment any longer. There had been mention of 'Until hell freezes over', though the more reasonable agreement was until her father felt as though she'd learned her lesson.

_When Hell freezes over_, she thought sourly.

"Decepticons are not something we are able to track with ease." Ironhide said calmly, "The best thing for your father to do would be to take you and your mother back home."

"Just make things normal again? Is that even ok? I mean-" she shuddered, "What if they attacked there?"

"Starscream can't risk another hard defeat." His voice was calm, but still showed a slight hint of an emotion that might have been disappointment, "He's a crass leader- Defeat hurts him. But he lost one of his when he attacked before."

"And it was just you and Bumblebee." Grace said thoughtfully, "So what? He just crawls off into a hole?"

"To 'lick his wounds' as you humans would put it. Once his pride's back in tact, he'll try again."

Grace leaned against the smooth metal of Ironhide's foot and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, "Again?" she wondered aloud, "To what end? Kill us? What about Uncle Sam and Aunt Mikaela and Nick? Them too?"

"Revenge, I suppose. Though Starscream never was particularly _fond_ of Megatron." It was Hound that broke into the conversation, his southern accent still a source of surprise to Grace, "If everything Optimus told us is true, he's probably fairly pissed that ya'll managed to beat him an' his lackeys off so quick before." He was sitting next to Ironhide, "But don't worry li'l lady, Hounds here." He winked at her.

"You're a freak." Grace's voice dropped an octave, "I mean really- are you trying to hit on me or something?"

"No. I don't want to hurt you."

Grace choked on her words, "_Not_ what I meant."

Hound was doing a search on the phrase as she whispered up to Ironhide, "Is he always like this?"

Ironhide nodded just a little bit, "He's more interested in bio-worlds than Cybertron." He confessed, "This is the first time he's actually _been_ to one… That I know of, anyway."

"I find your race nothing short of _amazing_." Hound interjected, having looked up the information he had been interested in, "You have _slang_. We've got slang terms in our own talk, but _ya'll_… Ya'll have _real_ slang! And th'dialects! This is just too good!"

Grace fought the urge to tell him to dial down his stupid southern accent, but she figured, eventually, he'd find a happy middle ground.

"So we're interesting. Yay." She said flatly, "Look, I just want to know- why do these other guys want to kill us so much? I mean, it's not like we've got anything of value."

"Pride." Hound shrugged it off, "I've never figured them out." He was referring to the enemy, "But I know that it's got to be pride."

"You don't even know what happened." Ironhide said, "And pride has only a portion to do with it."

Hound fell silent; watching the elder autobot for a moment, "Well, then?"

Ironhide mulled things in his head, "the fraction of the All Spark." He muttered.

The yard became uncomfortably silent. Grace felt her skin prickle. She'd only _heard _about this thing from her father, but somehow, she knew that it was super important.

Flareup was the next to speak, "Optimus? Do you still have it?" she asked.

Optimus didn't answer for a long moment. Finally, he nodded.

William came out of the house, "Gracie, come inside. It's time for supper." He said. His voice conveyed the same serious tone that he'd spoken to her in earlier.

Grace was just thankful that she'd gone from being Annabelle Grace Lennox, back to 'Gracie'.

Grace looked up at Ironhide. For a moment, he thought she was going to say something to him, but she didn't. Instead, she patted his foot, and smiled weakly.

_She's had to give up a lot in order to be a part of us,_ he thought, _but… She's never complained about being a part of the group._

Hound looked to Ironhide, "You must really like the kid." He commented, "You're real friendly-like."

"She's not a bad… for an adolescent."

"Uh-huh."

William sat at the table with his friends and family. He finally said it.

"I think we should try going home."

Grace stared at him, "Really?"

"Whoa- Hey, look," Sam interjected, "Do you really think it's a good idea?"

Mikaela and Sarah exchanged understanding glances. "Will," Sarah started, "Honey- I thought…"

William put up his hands, "No. I think it's time we went back home. For the time being, it's best to pretend like things are normal."

Before Sam could open his mouth again, Will continued, "_Besides_," he said, "Ironhide is perfectly capable of taking care of Grace should something happen."

"And what about you and mom?" Demanded Grace, "I'm not going to leave you two alone for something to happen!" she mashed her fork into her potatoes.

"You don't get a choice."

"I didn't have one last time either!" she said pointedly. She tapped the metal braces over her broken fingers against her fork.

Grace suddenly shut her mouth, though she had opened it again to say something more. Her fathers look was more than enough to shut her up.

"I get final say in this matter." He said, his voice going hard, "And you _will_ listen to me."

Grace dropped her fork into her potatoes, letting the handle clatter against the white stoneware plate. She stood up, the chair making a racket against the linoleum floor, and stormed out of the room.

Will sighed.

"Will… You could have just-" Mikaela picked up the conversation again. Or at least- she tried.

"She wouldn't have listened." He snapped. He understood what Sams' wife had been ready to say, but he wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone.

Sarah sighed, "It is best, I suppose." She murmured, picking at her own plate of food, "And, besides, Grace really can't miss so much school. There's only so much of it we can explain."

Sam sighed, looking off in the direction that Grace had stomped off in. He nodded, "Yeah. I guess." _If it were Mikaela and I in the same position, I'd want to make sure that Nick was safe. It would be the same thing with Bumblebee._

The rest of supper was uncomfortably quiet; the only sounds that of the adults eating, as Nick had been put to bed with his own supper earlier.

_**Short chapter- as usual. Sorry guys. Been sick. I have the next chapter ready to go once it's been checked tho. It's FUN! (hint hint: Ironhide gets to hear lots about a special subject- and not from Grace either!) (kat)**_


	29. Notches

Wasn't it just like Grace to get into trouble within a week of being home again? Oh yes! It was!

Ironhide felt the weight of the two girls inside his cab, fidgeting around. He could hear them laughing.

And talking about something called the 'g-spot'. Upon a quick review of the internet, he found himself in a completely disgusted mood.

_She's an adolescent! A kid! A mere child! Why! _Why_ would she be talking about something like this with her friends?!_

Then her friend said something that made the fluids in his body go lumpy-

"So then he's all like, 'Stick your finger-'"

He felt like screaming. Instead, he popped on the radio. At top volume.

_There's no way in _hell_ I'm going to listen to her talk about that slag! Not in me! No! No! _No

Grace felt like laughing and screaming at the same time, as she jabbed at the volume knob, trying to get it to shut off. When the noise silenced itself, she smiled weakly at Andrea. "Heh. Sorry about that. _Old_ truck, you know what I mean?"

The other girl nodded, shaking her pinky in her ear, trying to rid herself of the ringing that now sang in her head. "No prob. I understand."

_Old!?_

The radio came back on.

With a vengeance. A song from decades before blared from the speakers.

"_**oh We're Not Gonna Take, It no, We Ain't Gonna Take It, oh We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore, oh We're Not Gonna Take, It no, We Ain't Gonna Take It, oh We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore, no Way! oh..."**_

Grace punched the volume knob. _You bastard! When we get home, I'm totally gonna kill you!_

Ironhide felt like laughing.

"Your truck has no taste." Joked Andrea.

Grace laughed with her, and kicked the dashboard, "You have _no_ idea."

_Yeah? No taste? Oh, you are so-_

There were two boys leaning on his hood. They were chatting about the two girls in his cab.

"You going to ask her or not?"

"I dunno, man. I mean, she's cute and all, but… really? Military brat? No way. I feel like she'd own my ass."

"Her _dad'd_ own your ass."

"Fuck you man, Fuck you."

"Nope, she's the goal."

"_I'm_ not insane."

_I'd run you both down._

Grace glanced down at her watch, completely ignoring the boys outside, "Oh shit! Andrea, we're gonna be late for class again!" she suddenly whined, "Why can't lunch be a little longer?" she tossed the half finished bottle of white tea in her backpack.

"Tell me." The other girl rolled her eyes, "What do _those_ two losers want? I've already told Ryan, I'm _not_ interested." She opened the passenger door, sliding out of the truck.

"Hey... uh... Andrea."

"No."

The boy looked perturbed, "But, Andrea! I haven't even-"

Andrea pursed her lips, turning her dark eyes to the boy, "Ryan?"

"Uh. Yeah?"

"No!" she said, slamming the truck door behind her. Grace opened the drivers side door. The other boy, blonde with brown eyes, reached up to help her down. She gave him a skeptical look.

"What do you want?" she demanded. Her taste in boys had been tainted for months now.

The guy stood up straight, "I just thought, you know, the truck is so tall…"

"What? As if I can't get in and out on my own?" Grace demanded, "I drive 'im to school and home very day. What makes you think I need help?" She made to slide out of the seat.

Her skirt- though not short, slid up enough to show a decent portion of her upper thigh.

The boy stared.

Grace blushed, jerking her skirt down as soon as her feet touched the ground. "What?" she demanded again. She was glaring holes in his head, as she reached back into to grab her backpack.

Thinking to at least give himself a chance, the boy put his hand against the doorframe of the Topkick, and tried to look as cool and casual as possible, "Hey, uh Grace, about the Winter formal…"

"I can't go. I'm grounded." She said coldly.

"Oh! Uh…" he fumbled for a response.

"Billy?"

"Yeah?" he looked _so_ hopeful.

Grace sighed.

"I'll talk to my dad, ok?"

The boy smiled, ""Really? Because, you know, that'd be great." He adjusted himself, a sad attempt to look cool.

Grace smiled weakly. _Not all boys are bad_, she thought, _And… Billy's been in most of my classes for, what, three years now? I'll ask. The worst thing that can happen is that Dad'll laugh at me._

The door suddenly sung shut on the boys' fingers.

After he'd tried to walk off as calmly as he could, and Grace was alone with the truck, she sighed.

"I'm so late." She muttered.

"First the talks of… _disgusting_ human mating in my cab, and now the boy?" came a disembodied voice, "Was it really necessary?"

Grace sighed, "Almost as much so as the Twisted Sister lyrics." She responded.

Ironhide sighed, "Your father is going to say no. And besides, he's only out to-"

Another bell rang.

"SHIT!" Grace ran off before he could finish.

"Have intimate relations…" finished Ironhide to himself, "Well, not when _I_ get done with him."

Billy looked out the Chemistry window, his thoughts on Grace. She actually _was_ quite attractive. She wasn't a supermodel, not by any means. She lacked the breasts and all overall curves for that. But no- in her own fashion, she was very attractive.

_Ok- so Ryan want's me to 'notch' her… but man… I bet she'd be a hell of a girlfriend, really. I heard that she went way out of her way to make sure that Donnie had a cake on his birthday when she found out nobody remembered. _He sighed, chewing on the tip of his ballpoint pen, _Ok- what if I just _told_ Ryan I 'notched' her, but just didn't? Would he still respect me?_ He snorted, _Ah, No. And neither would she when she found out… She'd run me over with that big ass truck of hers!!_

Somehow, he could see her doing that. Of course, there'd been that rumor about Tim Zimmerman. He'd been jammering on about a giant thing and Graces truck.

_Yeah, but then again, Tim's done 'notched' one too many chicks... and not in the two way fun either. If Grace owned his ass with that truck of hers, he _would_ resort to making up a story about giants rather than admit that he tried to rape some girl and got his ass handed to him!_

He shook his head. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… Looking out the window, he spotted an older man leaning against the bed of the truck.

He was making a look right at him with a glare that could have killed the dead.

Bill turned his eyes away for a moment, then looked back.

No man.

_Oh Fuck me. I'm seein' things._ He thought, _And I haven't even _done_ anything!_

_**Sigh Bill's a good kid… but Poor Ironhide. You know, I bet it's rough when an Autobot gets the wrong idea about people. Hmmm. (kat)**_


	30. Uncle Ironhide?

Ironhide heaved a groan as Grace babbled on about how lousy the teacher was she'd had to deal with that afternoon.

As an honor student, Grace had been allowed to take courses that were offered through the local community college. Unfourtunatly, this meant having to take a class from a teacher that, as Ironhide understood, enjoyed his student/teacher relations a bit too much with a particular girl.

"I mean, really. How am I supposed to get anything done if he's busy goggling over her!" Grace hit the steering wheel with frustration.

"Don't take it out on me." Ironhide grunted, suddenly hitting his breaks as a bright red vehicle pulled directly in front of them, and altogether too close, "What is _wrong_ with your drivers? I know he saw me!" he protested, blaring the horn suddenly.

Grace flinched, "Uh. Do you mind? They're going to think I've got a road-rage issue." She ground her teeth together in thought, "And.. I have to ask. What are we going to do about Hound? I mean- Flareup I kinda of understood staying with Uncle Sam and Aunt Mikaela… But why in God's name did Hound come home with us?"

"He's curious."

"Bi-curious." Grace joked under her breath.

"I don't understand."

"Nevermind." She sighed, and leaned against the window, her hand draped over the steering wheel, "Besides- I don't even understand what the deal is with him. Why is Daddy keeping him at home? I thought the Army wanted him to take Hound in…"

Ironhide sped up past two little red-hatter ladies in a little red Saturn. "What your military wants and what they get are often two different things. We listen to Optimus Prime, not some human with a couple of stars on his shoulder."

Grace became uneasily quiet for a long time. As they were driving up into the driveway, she said, "I've… been wondering about something."

Ironhide flickered to life beside her as the truck parked in the drive. "What's that?"

"What will you do when others come? Will you just keep hiding?" Grace can't help but let the trace fear in her voice slip out.

Ironhide's figure, the dark hair, starting to fade, and the bright eyes, searched her for a moment, "Eventually, Optimus will feel that we will be able to live among you as we are. But for now- yes. We'll remain in hiding." He paused, "What are you concerned over?"

Grace chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment. "It's just. I can kind of see why the Army would be concerned. If you're choosing not to listen to them… It would seem like you were invading us." She wanted to add, _You're not, right?_ But somehow, Grace felt as though asking such a question would be… inappropriate.

Ironhide tilted his head, watching Grace as he said, "We're not here to invade. We just have nowhere else to go."

"You can be kind of-"

"Grace?" a male voice came from outside the cab. Ironhide's familiar face disappeared.

Grace looked out the window, down at her classmate, Bill. "Oh! Hi Bill!" she smile dsweetly at him, opening the door. Sliding out of the truck, she was careful of her skirt.

Ironhide scanned the male, taking in the levels of his pheromones, his heart rate and blood pressure. He listened in on the conversation.

"So- uh. You were late getting in. I came by earlier to ask you about the dance, and your dad said that you were getting groceries on the way home." Bill scuffed his foot against the concrete.

Grace smiled a little bit at the boy, "Yeah. Milk and bread." She replied calmly, blushing.

Ironhide was almost disgusted at her following reaction.

The boy handed her some flora. Lovely yellow with long stems. "I.. uh. Got these for you." He made a show at being shy.

_Her pheromones and heart rate just went through the roof! Over something so trivial as flowers! She's almost grown and she's falling for something that… trivial!_ He was almost disgusted at the hug she gave the boy. He felt it his duty, as her Autobot guardian to do what followed.

As the boy leaned into the backseat to carry in the entire _two_ bags of groceries for her, Ironhide felt the sudden urge to throw himself into reverse just enough to knock the startled boy off his feet and onto the pavement.

Grace looked to Ironhide with a bit of contempt before turning to Bill, "Oh-my-god, Bill, are you ok?"

He smiled at her, flashing white teeth, "I'm great, heh."

Grace felt her knees weaken. Silly boy that he might have been, Bill was sweet and boyishly handsome with his straggly hair.

Ironhide felt the sudden need to throw himself into gear and repeatedly run over the boy. Remembering the conversation he'd overheard between Bill and the other boy, he wondered what _Grace_ would do if she found out that she was about to become another number with this boy.

"So- uh. Hey, I gotta ask…" Bill got to his feet, "Why are you driving such a huge truck anyway? I mean..." he tried to think of a way to say what he wanted without getting a black eye, "You know…"

"Girls can't drive big trucks?" Grace arched an eyebrow as she asked the question. But she understood what he was asking.

"Well, no... But I mean. This thing dwarfs my dads Humvee… It's unusual."

Grace shrugged, "Why wouldn't I?" she asked, "Dad got it fitted for the new fuel-types years ago, so it's not like…" _Not that Ironhide needed to be fitted for anything_, she added mentally, _but whatever. Keep up with things and all._

"No.." Bill shook his head, and kind of chuckled, "I dunno. I mean. There's only one or two other kids at school that would dare drive something this big."

Grace made a face that showed she obviously didn't approve of the topic, "Look; is there a point to this subject? Do you have an issue with him?" she demanded. She shoved her blue fingernail into the boys' chest, so he was leaning against Ironhide, "Because I'm not into boys who think girls are baby doll-loving, stroller pushin'…"

Bill threw up his hands defensively, "No! I was just curious!" he blinked, "Damn you're defensive!" _Note to self- _don't_ ask about the truck!_

Grace pulled back, realizing that she had, indeed, been being a bit more defensive than usual. She smiled weakly, and kneeled to pick up the grocery bags from the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly, "It's just... you know? Guys think girls shouldn't be in big cars. And, well…" she shrugged, "I rather like autos. My Aunt Mikaela is a master mechanic, so I grew up around them."

Bill blinked, "Cool," he grinned again, making Grace blush, "It's cool. I was just curious." He shrugged, "You look really nice in yellow."

The flowers were brushing her face, making her blush all the more prominent Grace stuttered, trying to think of something to say when the entire truck came to life at once, the radio blaring, the engine roaring- The entirety of the truck was shaking.

"_**Back away, boy, Back away- get away from my girl before I find a way- to make you, make you, make you, Back away, boy, back away, I'll put a hole in your fa-"**_ Grace was on it, jumping into the truck as quickly as she could, "_Ironhide!_" she hissed, "Stop it! You're being stupid!" the hologram flickered to life on the other side of her, and frowned deeply, causing deep line to appear.

Grace stared, "What the _hell_ are you doing?" she demanded her voice cracking as Bill peered in.

"I see you've got a prankster." He laughed.

Grace made a show of yanking the keys out of the ignition, though she'd already done so once. The truck shuddered to a halt. She held the keys up, staring at the hologram of Ironhide with a glare. _Behave!_ She mouthed, before sliding out of the truck.

Grace sighed, hanging her head weakly as Ironhide's hologram made a show of getting out of the truck and walking to the other side. "I'm going to tell Ella to _make_ Ratchet pull out _all_ your circuits!" she hissed, "And then I'm going to shove them in the microwave, put it on high and-"

"Hey, I'm Bill." The boy stuck out his hand. Ironhide didn't take it.

"'Hide." He replied. He was wearing a look that could have killed.

Bill blinked, "Hey, I think I saw you at the school earlier today. You Grace's boyfriend? I saw you out by the truck." Somehow, Bill really _hoped_ Grace wasn't dating a man this much older than she was.

Ironhide made a smirk, "Her uncle." He corrected the boy, "And you?"

Grace felt her brain crashing, _What the hell is he doing?! My _uncle_?! He's finally lost it!_ She slid out of the truck on her stomach, her feet touching the ground with a soft pat.

Bill blushed, "I'm not her boyfriend," he made a noise in his mouth that could have been the want to add something else, but instead, he put his hand back down.

"What do you want?"

Billy coughed and looked at Grace nervously. The girl was busy looking completely irritated.

"Well?" Ironhide demanded. Despite the age he projected in his hologram, he didn't look like the kind of man who would be a pushover. His voice was fairly powerful, surprising even Grace with his tone.

She looked at him as he crossed his arms, and leaned against his physical self.

Bill smiled the best he could, flashing those pearly whites again, "I was going to ask if she would be able to come to the dance with me. You know, the Winter Formal?"

"She's grounded." Ironhide replied instantly.

This seemed to be enough for Bill, who managed to smile while telling Grace he'd see her at school the following day.

To Ironhides complete satisfaction, the boy all but ran off down the sidewalk once

goodbyes were exchanged.

Grace glowered at Ironhide, her face crimson with embarrassment or anger-_ Or,_ thought Ironhide, _Both. But she'll thank me when she finds out…_

To his surprise, she kicked his wheel and stormed into the house. The hologram flickered off, and Ironhide was left wondering at the strangeness of human females.

* * *

_**Just to let everyone know- I'm making an emergency trip to the states on Friday- I wont be back for about twelve days. Between now and then, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Things here have been horrendously wicked since the last time I posted and I'm afraid I might be attending a funeral while I'm gone, so Ya'll are out of luck for a bit.**_

_**I can't apologize for it.**_

_**(Kat)**_


	31. Frustrations

Will Lennox stared at Ironhide and shook his head, "You told him you were her uncle?" he repeated what he'd just been told, "What in God's name provoked you to do that?"

"I'm not interested in Grace romantically," Ironhide said, "And I'm obviously not her father. But Sarah told me that I'm part of the family."

"Too old for a brother, to young for a grandfather." Lennox said, as he waved one of the engineers to go ahead with the scan, "So you pick Uncle." He paused, "Hold still for a moment, alright?"

Ironhide, standing in the middle of an underground unit, allowed the two human engineers to scan his left cannon. "She doesn't seem to understand that the males are only interested in mating with her." He said, his voice hinted with a certain amount of bitterness.

Lennox fought the urge to laugh, "Well, I hate to tell you this, but when Sarah and I met, that was more or less all that was in my head too. Until she broke my finger." He snorted at the last comment.

Ironhide made a face, "Breaking ones appendages doesn't seem to be in any list of human courting rituals that I've seen." He was genuinely confused.

Will began to laugh. Some of the agents around him paused to stare at the Army Major. They'd never seen him laugh before, more than likely.

"What?" Ironhide suddenly sounded irate. He hated it when he was 'left out of the loop'.

Lennox shook his head, "She didn't do it intentionally." He stopped laughing long enough to glare two men back to work. Looking up at his companion, he made a shaking gesture with his hand, "She was working at a restaurant, waiting on tables… Anyway, I used to go every day and eat breakfast there just to see her." He made a face, "Eggs and English muffins. I hate English muffins." He added as an afterthought, "Anyway, I finally got the balls to ask her on a date, so I followed her to the till. There was this.." he hesitated, trying to remember the word, "She had a lifting door to get behind the counter, and… well. She slammed my finger in it."

Ironhide made a grunt, "Are you two done?" he glared down at the two men who had been scanning. They both blanched under his gaze, turning off the scanners.

Ironhide retracted his cannon, stretching his arm.

"_Someone's_ testy today. What's the problem, Ironhide?" Lennox asked, as he dismissed the others to lunch.

The Autobot grunted again, and made himself comfortable, "That boy, the one who came to see Grace at home-"

"Bill."

"-He was talking with another boy when Grace was at school. Something about Grace being a Goal." He sighed deeply, "It's not the first time I've heard this phrase. Grace's friend Andrea made the remark that the girls in school were all… Notches… for the boys."

Lennox frowned suddenly, his face showing a kind of frustration, "She's saying that the boys are all only interested in the number of girls they have sex with." He said, "You overheard Bill saying this to a friend?"

Ironhide nodded, "His friend said that she would be a huge 'notch' in his belt, and it made him nervous. Bill expressed his concern at Graces ability to defend herself." His expression said it all, "But he _still _approached her!"

His words fell on deaf ears; Lennox was muttering stuff to himself.

"Lennox?"

The aging man looked up at his autonomous companion, "Sorry. It's just… I know the kids dad. It's hard to believe he'd be like that. All the same though, Ironhide, you can't just have at the kid." He smiled weakly, "I know you're trying to protect Grace, but there are some things that I'm sure she can take care of herself."

Ironhide sighed again. "Are they done with me?"

Lennox made a nod towards the large entryway, "Yeah. My C.O. is getting frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the Autobots, though."

"I agree wholeheartedly with Optimus. Humans are not ready for the kind of power Energon provides." He shuddered, as he began to transform back into the modified Top-kick. Once he was complete again, he revved his engine. Providing his hologram for show, he looked at Lennox, "Besides, if they really think I'm going to let them take a piece of my skin, they're insane."

Lennox sighed, "They just want to know what you're made of." They never minced words when it was just the two of them.

"How would you like it if Ratchet asked for a nice chunk of _your_ arm to take a look at?" Ironhide snapped impatiently.

Will made a face that showed his dislike of the idea, "Ok- I see where you're coming from. I'll mention it to my C.O."

Ironhide snorted, rushing a burst of air from his muffler, "It shouldn't matter what we're made of. We're alive, just like you are. That should be enough."

Lennox understood, but he didn't respond verbally. He patted the metal of the truck in reassuring manner.

"You owe me a wash after all those questions from your scientists."

Lennox laughed.

* * *

Sitting at the lookout that evening, Ironhide watched as Liz pulled out, not a pack of cigarettes, but a pack of gum, and pull out a stick. She eyed it for a moment, before popping it into her mouth and chewing.

"Not nearly as good as a good ol' Marlboro." She mumbled. Optimus, sitting in his natural form nearby, smiled partially.

"They're better for you than those cigarettes." He said calmly.

Bumblebee smirked, trying not to laugh at the older woman. Glancing over at Hound, he saw the other Autobot examining the last cigarette that Liz'd had. "There are chemicals in here that in larger amounts would _kill_ a human."

Liz rolled her eyes, "Not you too…" she muttered.

"Where's Ratchet?" Flareup asked, her sweet voice breaking from nowhere as she pulled in and transformed into her own natural form, "I really need him to take a look at that shuddering. I don't know if it's just this form or if it's me." She confessed, looking a little frustrated.

"He's giving Ella a check over." Optimus replied, "Even though she's adjusted to the artificial limbs, he still checks them once or twice a month to make sure that everything's running right."

Ironhide heaved a deep sigh, not for the first time that evening.

"What's bothering you?" Bumblebee asked. There was a trace of concern in his quiet voice.

"That male." Ironhide said shortly, "I can't figure out why he came back again earlier tonight. I figured I'd scared him off before…"

Optimus suddenly looked disapproving. "What did you do?" he demanded calmly.

"Nothing big!" Ironhide protested quickly, "Just... Made him fall out of my cab."

"Sam was saying Sarah mentioned obscenely loud rap music and-" Bumblebee shut his mouth when he saw the look he was getting from the weapons specialist.

"And what?" Optimus leaned forward.

Ironhide snorted, "I just scared him a little. I was trying to get him to leave her alone."

"It's not our place to frighten humans." Optimus said, "Unless they've done something to otherwise provoke us."

"He's going to use Grace." Ironhide said angrily, "And… the males on this planet are all… all…" he couldn't think of a suitable word.

Liz chewed on her gum and interjected, "Dogs? Yeah. I'm sure Grace is fairly aware of it." She stretched, her old bones cracking noisily. "Grace is a very pretty young lady, and she's at the age where the boys are only going to be interested in sex- the more attractive the girl, the more boys will try and get with her." She shrugged, "It's a never ending cycle."

"It's disgusting."

Liz shrugged again, leaning against Optimus again, "Sure," she agreed, "But it's also kept humans from going extinct." She joked.

Flareup shook her head, "I'm still confused."

Hound was completely enamored by the subject, however, "Amazing," he stated, "Ya'll willingly accept that your males are only interested in pro-creating. On cybertron, the joining of two sparks isn't nearly as… _common_." It was the only word he could find to describe how humans got together.

Liz shook her head, "Not at all," she said, "A lot of girls will willingly tell a guy to go to hell rather than have sex with him. Humans, despite what you've probably seen on the internet, are usually fairly picky about who they'd like to be with. Besides," she added, "Sex doesn't always mean marriage. It doesn't always mean love, or even _like_ for that matter."

"Why would you join with someone you didn't like?" Bumblebee shook his head, "All this time here, and I still can't figure that out."

Liz shook her head, "A few drinks one night, loneliness, horny-ness, or even drugs… It happens. Unfortunately, women get raped all the time."

Ironhide nodded, "Yes. Grace had a violent encounter with a male like that."

Optimus clearly hesitated before tracking off on another conversation, "You had another encounter with the human military scientists today."

"They still want the fragment of the cube." Ironhide let the other autobot lead him from the subject, "And they keep trying to go in deeper-"

"You told them no."

"They're stubborn." Ironhide groused, "I told Lennox to talk to his commanding officer about it. He promised he would."

"Mm." Optimus seemed to be thinking for a moment. Liz watched him remove the fragment from a portion of his arm. She watched him search it for a long time before asking:

"Are you so afraid of us?"

Perhaps surprised by the question, or perhaps more surprised by her sudden question, Optimus stared down at the older female. When he didn't reply, Liz spoke again.

"You know, we have this saying. 'Power corrupts'." She took the foul gum from her mouth and wrapped it in it's wrapper before disposing of it in her breast pocket, "For humans, this is fairly true. But perhaps the Army is afraid that this might be true for _you_ too."

"We ain't here to conquer." Hound said suddenly, his accent breaking the harshness of the mood, "We're here to _live_. We want to be with ya'll in peace."

Flareup nodded in agreement, "We don't have anywhere left to go, now."

"And there will be others that come, right?" Liz asked, "The military is going to think you're all here to take over, no matter how kind your intentions."

Ironhide felt something snap inside for a moment, "Hey! We _defended_ your race from Megatron! We're _still_ defending your race from the Decepticons! How much more proof could your military possibly want?!"

Even though he agreed, Optimus had to silence his companion, "Ironhide," he said calmly, "There is no need to take your frustration out on Liz." He took in a deep breath, the metal of his being making soft groaning sounds, "They must understand in time that we mean no ill will."

Liz shook her head, "Maybe so, Optimus," she said gently, her voice dropping, "But I've seen this before. It doesn't always end in friendly terms."

Optimus, though a bit surprised by her response, tucked the fragment back into its safe place, "We will not fight the humans."

But Ironhide couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about this. "And what about the ones that are looking for us?" he referred to the conversation that Optimus had brought up months earlier on a camping trip, "that group of humans- we don't know if _they _mean well or not, do we?"

"The internet chatter is still there… but they aren't any closer than they were six months ago." Optimus was starting to get frustrated at his comrade, "Friend, you are becoming impatient."

Ironhide sighed, "Maybe I'm tired of hiding." He confessed.

Hound blinked, "How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Nearly seventeen earth years." Ironhide grumbled, "Grace'll be seventeen soon." He said absently, "She's becoming anxious to throw a party. She confided her own frustration with having to hide me from her friends."

Optimus shook his head.

Liz nodded quietly, "I'm sure to her, you're a part of the family now. I hear you're _Uncle_ Ironhide." She smiled softly, reaching up to her breast pocket in habit. The smokes weren't there. Her frustration evident by the look on her face, she reached for another stick of gum.

Flareup, who had been fairly quiet, suddenly smiled brightly and laughed, "An uncle? Ironhide?" she patted the larger autobot, "That's _amazing_. Humans have such a tight ideal on family- this is great!"

Hound tilted his head, "She's right, y'know." He admitted, "Humans are very particular about 'family' and 'friends' and 'strangers'. Kinda fantastic that she accepted you so easily."

Flexing his fingers, Ironhide pretended to be overly interested in tinkering with his left cannon. "I'm the one who said it." He muttered, "To scare off the boy."

Unwrapping the stick of gum in her hand, and folding the foil carefuly, Liz groaned softly, "You did it to scare off a boy?" she sighed, and rubbed her face, "I'm surprised she hasn't gone AWOL on you."

"No. She knows I'd find her." Ironhide said calmly, spinning the cannon on his arm slowly.

"Huh? No. I mean I'm surprised she hasn't laid into you about it. You know, gotten angry." Liz corrected herself, "Or has she?"

Hound tilted his head, taking in the conversation, "More slang…" he mumbled to himself, taking in the information.

Ironhide shook his head, trying not to look away from his arm, "She kicked me. Sarah came out later and told me that if she came out with the sugar bin to stay as far away from her as possible."

Liz stared at the black metal above her and blinked, taking in the information. "Sugar? Jesus, she's going to put sugar in your tank? Wow. You must've really done a number…"

"I don't think it's because I said I was her uncle."

* * *

_**I just want to thank everyone for the kind wishes on my trip. I've gone and come back. Thankfully, I did not have to go to a funeral, like I expected. My nana (great-gramma) is still very ill, but thankfully, she is still with us for a little while longer. **_

_**Long chapter up because I want to show my gratitude for your patience and well wishes. I am ok, if a little bit exhausted. You know, threadbare from a two day car trip down and two days back, but really, not so bad. (for future reference, driving two days and two thousand miles is not fun with a 7month old baby girl.)**_

_**Also- got hired while I was gone. I'll be starting my new job on the 4**__**th**__** of September (which is also my step brothers birthday), so I'll update as much as I can between now and then.**_

_**Love for all! (kat)**_


	32. A Kiss

She was chewing on her fingernail as she listened to her headphones. Obviously deep in thought, Sarah decided to leave her daughter lay where she was, and go about her own business of the laundry without bothering her.

_Stupid Ironhide. He scared Bill half to death. But at least Daddy's letting me go to the formal,_ she thought, as she ran her pen in circles in her History notebook, _All the same, though, I can't very well take Ironhide. That stubborn, old, metallic, cold-hearted sonuva.._

Her pencil broke. Grace sucked her finger where a bit of the wood had cut her. She sighed. _He told Bill he was my _uncle_ for Gods sake. My uncle!_ She sighed, _I mean, really. It's like he thinks I'd let this guy get in my pants or something if he wasn't around._

Rolling over on her back, Grace looked up at the ceiling of the living room. She was supposed to be doing notes for an upcoming History exam. But being unable to concentrate, she sighed, and shut her eyes.

There were so many things that had changed over the past year. Had it really been a year? No. Closer to ten months, she thought. But still, so much had changed, and her view on the world was quickly changing as well.

Her birthday was coming up, and with it, so many new ideas and decisions. Her father wanted to her apply at the colleges soon. (didn't she really have another whole _year_ to think about such things?!) Her mother wanted her to prepare to get a job.

But all Grace Lennox really wanted to do was to just pretend she was a little kid. The responsibilities wouldn't be there. She could forget that the family truck was really a giant, living robot. She could forget that her family was really like a bunch of interstellar ambassadors for these giant sentient beings.

But the damned History exam… she couldn't just forget it. So she rolled back over, opening her eyes again to the thick textbook in front of her.

* * *

Out in the garage, Hound was busy trying to understand why it was the humans needed to wear so many different coloured garments. He was speaking through his own hologram to Sarah who was busying herself with the washer, which had begun to make a horrible '_shlurch_' sound during the rinse cycle.

"I have this sneaking suspicion that the damned thing is about to go out on us again. I keep telling Will we need a new one." She muttered, "But listen? No. No, he's the man, so he thinks he can fix _everything_."

Hound watched her with detailed interest. His blue eyes from the hologram blinking with cheerfulness, "You should talk to Ratchet." He advised, "I'm sure-"

"I'm sure I'm _not _going to bother Ratchet over our fifty year old washer." Sarah cut in with a half laugh, "It's not a big deal, Hound. I've been after Will to get a new one for a long time now." She slammed the lid to the washer shut for the second time, and leaned against it as she waited for the drier to finish its last five minutes.

"Like I was asking, though," Hound continued, "You have hundred of these little fabric garments, and you wear a new piece every day?"

"Four or five, depending on certain things." Sarah replied. She didn't mind the questions. Ironhide usually only wanted to know things about why her daughter was so strange. Hound seemed genuinely interested in much smaller things that were easier for the older woman to explain.

"Depending on what?" Hound asked, imitating her posture against his hood. His military cut didn't really suit his figure, but Sarah didn't bother telling him that.

"Well," she paused for a moment, thinking, "Well, it's like this- Grace and I wear two undergarments a day. Plus jeans and a shirt, and of course, socks. That's five." She said sweetly, "And of course, Will, when he wears his uniform, he wears his boxers, slacks, dress shirt, jacket, and socks." She opened the drier door impatiently wanting the laundry to be done. She hated just standing around waiting.

Thankfully enough, four minutes left just didn't make that much of a difference. The clothes were dry and hot, fresh from the drier, as she began to fold.

"Why do you and Grace wear more, then?"

Sarah bushed. She didn't _really_ feel the want or need to explain bra's to the autobot. "Well, most women wear an extra garment called a bra, to, you know, contain their breasts." She was blushing horribly as she explained it to him. But it wasn't as though Hound was going to flirt with her or try and molest her, so telling didn't seem _quite_ as bad.

Hound nodded, "I see." He smiled brightly, "Amazing how much ya'll've come up with! And what about these other garments? Skirts? Aren't they chilly?"

Sarah laughed as she pinned said garment to a clothes hanger. When she married William, she was pretty sure that explaining the clothing humans wear to an alien made of metal and gears was the last thing she'd ever thought she'd end up doing.

* * *

Having finished as much as she could without losing her mind, Grace put away her notes and textbook. Sitting up in the middle of the floor, she rubbed her face. She glared out the window at the black Topkick in the driveway.

"Jerk." She muttered, turning away from the window and storming to the kitchen for a glass of iced-tea. When she came back out, Ironhide was gone. She wondered for a moment if he'd gone out with her mother. If that was the case, then Hound was probably still in the garage.

_Poor bugger's probably lonely,_ Grace thought. She thought about possible going out to the garage to chat with him about the oddity known as Ironhide. But then again, _Who could figure him out anyway? He calls _me_ strange. _

A knock on the front door broke her decision-making moment. She smiled weakly, going for the front door.

Standing on the other side was Bill. He was holding a dvd in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. "Uh. Hey Grace." He looked almost bashful as he presented the DVD, "I didn't know if you were home or not, since the truck's gone, but I thought I'd just… uh." He paused, partially blushing, "Uh. Andrea's brother said you liked the old black and white movies…"

Grace smiled gently, "Yeah? Well, maybe he was right." She folded her arms, "What's in the bag?"

"Uh…" he clutched it, "That is, uh. It's-"

"Oh! Hello Bill! Grace, honey, you should let him in, it is kinda chilly out, dear." Sarah smiled, carrying a basket of laundry on her hip.

Grace felt a sudden chill go down her spine. Her father was at the base. Her mother was standing behind her. That meant that Ironhide had gone off by himself. "Uh. Mom?" she turned around slowly, leaving the door open, "You... You don't know where... _Uncle_ Hyde when do you?" she asked suddenly.

Sarah blinked, getting the message. She shook her head and smiled, "He probably had an important meeting to go to."

Grace took a deep breath and let Bill in with a bit of a smile, "Sorry. It's just... my Uncle... He's... well."

Bill smiled genuinely, "It's alright. He's just protecting you, I'm sure." He hesitated, "Not much of a people person, though, is he?"

Grace laughed; the sound coming suddenly and growing. She let Bill take her shoulder with his hand, and led him into the living room. "So, the bag?"

"Oh!" Bill smiled a little bit, "I... brought you something. You know. Because I knew you were grounded and all." He passed it to her, "I'm no great baker, but I thought you'd like it."

Upon opening the bag, Grace found a large plastic tray covered in cellophane- underneath the cellophane appeared to be a rather large pile of peanut butter and fudge brownies.

"Wicked!" Grace smiled happily, "Who told you my favorite?"

Bill laughed a bit, his nervousness obvious, "You're the loudest one to complain when the vending machine is out in the cafeteria." He explained, "So.. uh. I just kind of assumed you liked them."

Grace laughed, "I guess I _can_ get a little touchy, sometimes."

Bill nodded, "So. The movie?"

The girl hesitated. _Where's Ironhide? _she wondered, _The last thing I really want it for him to drive _through_ the living room window because he's pissed off._ She sighed inwardly. No. Ironhide wasn't quite _that_ insane.

She hoped.

When Ironhide came into the drive again, just about an hour and a half later, his realized that there was more than one person in the living room, sitting on the couch. The darkness of the hair next to the blonder hair made him realize that it was _not_ Graces mother.

He felt his oil burn inside when he realized that it was that _boy._ And that boy had his arm around Graces shoulder.

To his annoyance, Grace seemed to be snuggling into the boy.

He revved his engine in annoyance, making Grace jump. She turned around on the couch, looking over the back, only to see Ironhides angry, _very angry_, hologram glaring, seething from outside.

_Oh. Shit._ Grace flinched.

"Grace? You ok?" Bill sat up and took a glance out the window at the angry looking 'man'. He flinched. "You're uncle's fuckin' scary."

"You have no idea." Grace suddenly turned her eyes to her companion, "Maybe it's time for you to go." She smiled weakly at him. _Ironhide looks… very unhappy._

The boy nodded in response, "Maybe it is. Your uncle isn't really the kind of guy I want to piss off." He got off the couch and knelt to get the DVD from the player. Grace looked at Ironhide, her face a mixture of guilt and irritation.

_Just where is it his place to get mad at me? Bill is one of the nicer guys in school- It's not like he's out to just-_ Her line of thought was broken by Bill, who had come around the couch to smile at her.

Before Grace could register what was going on, he leaned over and kissed her chastely on the lips. Smiling, he back away, "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Grace nodded, speechless. She stared as he walked out her front door and hurried past her 'Uncle' Ironhide.

"You stay the hell away from her, boy." Commanded Ironhide suddenly as Bill reached the end of the drive, "You hear me?"

Bill turned pale, but did not answer before hurrying off.

Ironhide stared at Grace through the window. Of all the things in the world, she was smiling stupidly to herself, as she hung over the back of the couch. Her bio-signs showed a level of excitement that Ironhide had never registered with her before.

Well, no. That was wrong. He'd captured an excitement at this level before, but not this _kind_ of excitement. She seemed, well. _Elated_.

Groaning to himself, Ironhide couldn't help but wonder what he was going to do. She really seemed to like this stupid male, despite what Ironhide knew that he wanted.

Sarah came outside, the front door shutting quietly behind her. "Ironhide?" she watched him, "Are you alright? I heard a loud sound and it seemed-"

"I'm alright, Sarah," he assured her carefully, "I just…" _Well? What then? You just what?_ He demanded himself. He didn't know.

Sarah smiled at him, her eyes just as calming as ever. Ironhide could get a real grasp, in moments like this, just why Will had fallen for her. She had the ability to calm everyone with a glance. He heaved a deep sigh, his black metallic body shuddering, "I don't know."

"Does it have something to do with Bill?" she asked gently, walking to him. She touched his metal-flesh with her warm hands. Amazing how a simple carbon life form could grasp things so quickly, "I noticed you trying to frighten him off the other day."

Ironhide sighed again, "He just wants to mate with her." He complained softly, "But.. Grace doesn't seem to understand this."

Sarah made a small sigh of her own, and shook her head, "Will knows his father. If he did try anything, he'd be in a world of hurt long before he could get anywhere." She paused, "Besides, he seems to be a sweet boy. He reminds me a lot of Will when he and I first met."

Ironhide tried not to snort at the idea. "I overheard him speaking with his male companion about… notches…"

Sarah sighed, her face suddenly becoming concerned, "I would hope that Bill would never get into something like that," she said, "But all the same- boy will say things to their friends to make them think they're cool, even if they don't agree with it." Still, the level of concern on her face and in her voice were plain, "Still. I'll mention it to Grace."

Ironhide made a sound that could have been mistaken for a laugh, "I don't feel that she's going to listen. She seems to be… I believe you humans call this, '_smitten_' with him."

Sarah sighed and gave a small, sideways nod with her head, "Perhaps she is. It happens to all girls at some point. And all girls," she added, "At some point will just fall for the _wrong _guy."

Ironhide made a face, the hologram flickering, "I don't understand why she won't just listen to me. I'm trying to protect her." His tone suddenly turned down, "I.. don't want what happened before…"

Sarah blinked. She stared at Ironhide, this side of him not being one that she'd ever seen much of. She patted his hood gently, "I know, hon." She said soothingly, "But right now, the best way to protect her is to support her. If we don't support her –even if she _is_ aware of the warning signs- then she'll run off on her own, and that thing you're so afraid of? It might happen. But we wont be there to help her if she runs off."

Ironhide sighed in frustration. From somewhere within the house, he could hear Grace humming to herself. She was happy. Very happy.

"We'll try it... Your way..." he muttered, glancing at Sarah.

She smiled at him gently, "It'll work. Trust me." She assured him, "But now, I have supper to make, before Grace stuffs herself on chocolate peanut butter fudge."

Ironhide couldn't help but smile weakly back. He monitored Grace for a long while after that, her level of excitement only finally decreasing when she went to bed that night.

He couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing.

* * *

_**Another part! Yay! And quickly! Yay again!! **_

_**And for those of you who asked, the Sugar in the Tank actually wouldn't do anything. I think it was busted on Mythbusters. (supposedly it would have damaged the engine.. dun remember now.) That doesn't mean **_**Grace**_**knows that, though. LOL. **_

_**Also, I have to thank everyone again for the amazing reviews! When I checked my e-mail this morning, I saw so many comments in my inbox that made me just smile SO big.**_

_**Also- because of requests, I'm going to be posting the next chapter (short that it might be) with Ratchet and Flareup. I hope ya'll enjoy! (kat)**_


	33. Ratchet and Flareup

Ratchet watched Ella for a few moments before turning his (admittedly) short attention to Flareup, who was grousing her latest damage.

"I'm sure I'll have to ask-"

"I was racing."

"Why?"

She shrugged, her gears making a soft sound as she did so, "Sounded like fun." She admitted with a smile.

"You were racing. Racing what? A trash compactor?" demanded Ratchet as he scanned her leg for damages. It mostly seemed external. He grumbled something in Cybertronian.

"I wish you'd stop saying stuff like that." Ella grouched from her spot under the tree. Her eyes pierced him, "Didn't we talk about this? I wont use French swears if you wont use Cyber-swears."

Ratchet took a deep breath, trying to ignore his already frustrated charge. She was hungry, and as such, was becoming steadily crankier and crankier.

_Twenty-one and zero patience…_

Flareup snorted and rolled her eyes with humor, "I never race trash."

"Ha. Ha."

"You're just no fun, Ratch." She smiled again, "So, anyway, there I was, minding my own business…"

"I'm sure."

She continued without stopping, "And there it was! This huge.. huge.." she thought for a moment, "Rally? _Sturgis_!!"

Ella blinked, "Oh my God. You went to the Sturgis?" she wanted to laugh. Ratchets face told her she'd better not even think about it.

Flareup nodded, continuing as Ratchet began to _painfully_ make repairs on her leg. "Hey! I'm not numb you know!"

Ella looked down at her own hand, The gears just under her flesh were working well enough, but she felt a twinge of pity for the red female. As Gentle as Ratchet often was with her, she was always able to feel the pain.

"I know." Ratchet smiled sweetly at her.

_That_ was creepy.

Flareup huffed playfully and went on, "So, of course, I had to check it out. I mean, oh. My. _Matrix_. There must've been six thousand humans there! Most of them were male, but the women! Oh wow! The women had these amazing bikes!"

"_What_ does this have to do with you racing?" Ratchet sighed. He changed tools, digging in painfully to pull the metal straight again.

Flareup winced, "You're not being very nice Ratchet, honey." She scolded, "That hurt."

"Maybe you'll stop racing. I do get _tired_ of forever repairing you aft." Ratchet felt the metal give as he straightened it more.

"Blah blah blah, honey. _Anyway_," she got more comfortable under Ella's watching eye, "I'm driving through and next thing I know there are all these males _begging_ me to please unzip my jacket!"

Ella stared, "Please tell me you didn't."

"Of course she did," Ratchet mumbled, as he removed his pliers from the metal and began to weld it back into it's proper place, "Didn't you?"

"How'd you know?" Flareup smiled again. God, she was cheery, "Well, of course I did. I thought I was supposed to. I mean, based on what the females were wearing there, I figured it was customary-"

"I knew it."

"- So I unzipped my jacket."

"And?"

Flareup shrugged. She was watching Ella carefully, making note of the fact that the girl had been repaired at one time too. With Cybertronian metals, no less. She wondered, if only briefly, where Ratchet got the metal and means to do so, but she wasn't done yet.

"I don't know, really. These guys started asking me if I wanted time. And I told them I had plenty. And then a couple of these guys challenged me-"

"So of course, she _had_ to accept." Ratchet said angrily as he turned off his weld.

"- to a race. And I _Did_ accept. And won."

"Wicked."

" Stop encouraging her. She doesn't need it. How many did you blow up?"

"Two."

Ratchet was taken aback. He'd been joking for Primus sake! "You _know_ we're not permitted to harm humans, Flareup! Damn it, why don't you listen once in a while?" he demanded, throwing one of his tools at her head.

She dodged expertly and blinked, "I didn't hurt them. Just the bikes." She smiled weakly, "Which is where I got this…" she lifted her arm to show another, smaller injury. Smiling at Ratchet, she held it out.

He stared at her. "What? You want- You want me to fix that?! After you _intentionally_ blew up _two_ Humans' motorcycles?!" he threw another tool at her, and she dodged again.

"Are you two lovers or something?"

Ratchet turned to stare at Ella. _My own charge! Against me! It's a plot! A plot to kill me, I'm certain of it! Let's all kill Ratchet by overloading his circuitry with-_

A hand on his chest made him start, "Oh yes, honey." Flareups sweet voice melted against him, "Ratchet is my-"

"_Get off me!_"

Flareup laughed, "Ratchet _wishes_ he could keep up with me, sweetheart." She bragged jokingly.

Ratchet obviously didn't find the remark all that funny. "I wouln't join with her if she was the last sentient being in the multiverse!" he thundered in irriation.

Ella merely shook her head, flexing her metal hand with just a little curiosity at the relationship before her.

Flareup smiled again, "He loves me." She winked, before holding up her arm again, "Won't you _please_ fix it, Ratch? Please?"

Ella watched her charge for a long moment as he stared at Flareup in horror. Sighing, he held his hand out. Flareup picked up one of the two tools that had been thrown at her and passed it to him.

And he began to work again.

* * *

_**Just a nice short Ratchet and Flareup chapter with guest appearance by Ratchet's charge, Ella. For more information about Ella, please, visit **_**CareBear1**_** and read her fanfic '**_**Fix You**_**'. She's really quite the writer. And don't forget to leave some kind words behind when you're done! We all need encouragement in order to strive and become better! (kat)**_


	34. Arrivals

The cool days of autumn were the days that Grace enjoyed most. She loved to sit out on the porch with her favorite book and just listen to the world. Living in a neighborhood provided plenty of interesting things to listen to: the loud music blaring from across the street, the kids playing in the backyard next door… Grace loved it all.

At the moment, though, what she loved most of all was the fact that Ironhide was unable to transform to torment Bill, who had come to see her. They were sitting quietly on the porch, each of them simply enjoying the others company.

Grace was leaning against Bills leg as she continued to read '_Iliad'_.

"What sort of psychosomatic freak makes us read the '_Iliad'_ _twice_?" Bill muttered, flipping another page, "I mean, really. She made us read this crap last year, and now she's making us re-read it this year? How the hell did she end up going into tenth grade lit anyway?"

Grace smiled quietly and shrugged.

"I mean, really. I was just glad to get _away_ from her at the end of last year. And now look at me!"

"Do you even know what psychosomatic means?" Grace mumbled as she turned another page, "And maybe she found out it was you and your friends that wallpapered her classroom with trashed term papers last year."

"That was a great prank, I'll have you know." Bill said smugly.

"It's a physical disorder caused by the mind."

"Oi. It also means 'bat shit insane'. So eat me."

Grace sniggered.

Will peered out the window of the living room at his daughter. Satisfied that there was nothing that he wouldn't approve of going on, he turned back to his football game. Sarah came in with a load of clean towels and sat on the couch next to him to fold.

"You should stop spying. Making out on the front porch with your parents home is taboo, I'm sure."

"Not in our day it wasn't."

"Mine were _asleep,_ Will."

Will smirked and shut off the television. His team was losing anyway, and by a very broad margin. "I like Bill," he said with a sigh, "but what Ironhide said is really wearing into me."

"You know boys'll say anything to make their friends think they're cool." Sarah said as assuring as she could. She knew Wills concern. She was worried about her daughter as well. Still, she had the sense to know that Grace would be a bit more careful with her parents nearby.

_At least, she'd better_, she thought privately.

"Hound keeps asking me a lot of questions," Sarah changed the subject, "One of which I feel _you_ would be more suited to answer." She smiled weakly as she tucked in a blue and grey patterned towel.

Will groaned, "_More_ questions? Isn't he happy with the internet?" he sighed, "What did he want to know?"

"How men evolved penises."

Will stared at his wife. She laughed softly, "I'm serious." She added, "And I'm not into that. You get to explain it."

Will stared Sarah and then glanced at the door to the garage, shaking his head, "He certainly wants to know a lot about us."

The woman nodded, tucking another towel in and setting it aside, "Yes. But I think it's good. The other Autobots are more interested in how our governments and powers work. I think Hound is just interested in humans as a whole." Her smile hadn't faded, "The other day, he asked me how human courting worked. He's quite interested in how Bill and Grace get along."

His father instincts kicking in, Will made a sound in his nose, "They get along fine and Bill isn't 'courting' her." He snorted.

"Uh-huh." Sarah knew better. So did Will, but he didn't want to think about his baby girl being any other way than his unspoiled girl.

_I don't understand this,_ Ironhide thought, _The two of them are just sitting there reading. The banter between them is nothing more than just human absurdity. The boys' hormones are within an acceptable range._ He really was confused. _The boys' words to his friend don't seem to hold through here._

He could have admitted to himself that he might have been wrong about Bill… But that would mean admitting that he had been wrong.

_I'm never wrong._

Still, watching the two teens on the front porch, he could tell that Grace was happy. Bill was happy. They were both enjoying each others company.

And maybe it was for the better. Grace had spent so much of the time, now, pretending that hers was just and ordinary life… Having an ordinary moment with another human should have been something that Ironhide appreciated.

"_You know. You keep such a hard eye on that boy. I'd think you were jealous."_ Hounds voice whispered through their communications link, _"Or are you just taking your role as Uncle too seriously?"_

Ironhide couldn't bring himself to respond for a moment. _"I am doing what Lennox asked me to do. I'm protecting her."_

"_You're making her insane."_

"_What do you know? Grace knows I'm just trying to make sure that she's safe."_

"_I didn't say she doesn't know. But I think this human courting is something she wants."_

"_I haven't protested in two weeks."_ Ironhide grumbled, his voice obviously frustrated over the signal, _"If Grace wants him to court her, I have no right to interfere." _Except he didn't quite believe what he'd just said.

Hound fought the urge to laugh at his older comrade. _"No matter how much you _do_, right?"_

"_I don't…"_

"_You scared him out of his flesh!"_

A new voice came on over the communications link, as a large blue and red peterbilt rolled into the neighborhood, _"Ironhide, Hound, there have been four new autobot beacons activated."_

"_**Four?!**__"_ It was more of a surprise to hear the number more so than the news its' self.

"_I was surprised as well, my friend. However, we must go and lead them here."_

Ironhide felt guilty. He knew that Grace would want to hear the news. He also knew she'd want to be there when they met up with the new companions. However…

She looked so happy sitting on the porch with Bill. She oticed the familiar rumble of Optimus Prime, however, and looked up.

The surprise wasn't amiss.

"Oh." Grace blinked, "It's my.. friend…" she said calmly.

Bill looked up at the rather large Peterbilt truck. "huh. Your family has a lot of friends who have big trucks." He joked.

Grace grimaced a little bit, but laughed lightly anyway. "I'll be back in a minute…" she said, standing up and brushing herself off. About the same moment she stood up, her father opened the front door.

"He's here…" he mumbled.

Grace nodded, "I was gonna see what he was up to." She smiled meekly.

William nodded at his daughter, "Maybe it's better if you just let me take care of this." With that, he walked past his daughter and her boyfriend, and up to the hologram that was now standing outside the truck.

"Optimus? Is something wrong?" William looked deeply concerned; however, Optimus looked fairly comfortable.

"There have been new signals activated. Perhaps it would be better if we all met somewhere…" he paused, watching the girl from the porch. She looked worried, "Else…"

Will nodded, "We'll follow you out to Sam's place." He said.

Optimus nodded, "That would be suitable." He said gently, and waved to Grace with a smile, "She shouldn't be concerned."

"She's gotten attached to Ironhide," Will confessed, "I think she's just afraid of him never coming back."

For some reason this thought made Optimus smile weakly. "I'm certain she'll never have to worry about it." From up in the Cab, Liz leaned out the window, "Well? What're we doin' then?" she asked.

"They will meet us at the Witwicky residence." Optimus nodded to Will, who backed away as he circled the truck and made show of climbing back in.

"We'll be there as soon as possible."

"Good."

The Peterbilt rumbled off down the street as Will came back up to the yard. "Grace, honey.. I think it's time for Bill to go home. We're going to see you're Uncle Sam."

Grace knew what he meant without even asking. She smiled at Bill, "Sorry," she said, "But family is really important, you know?"

Bill nodded, "Yeah. Besides, I promised my dad I'd mow the back yard before he laid down the hay for the colder weather."

They hugged.

Ironhide mentally groaned. _They __**hugged**_. He couldn't help but think that the hug might constitute even more later on… But the boys' hormones never changed.

He wondered again if Hound was right.

With the Autobots transformed into their own forms, Grace found herself in awe of the sheer size. Perhaps fifty-foot had been a bit of an exaggeration on her own behalf... but they were certainly large.

And going from four to six made things seem even more out of proportion.

But from what Optimus said, there were about to be even more. Sitting against Ironhide, Grace suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"There are four new beacons that have been lit…" Optimus said calmly, "However, both Ratchet and myself believe that there will be even more soon."

Hound nodded in agreement, "It took a little while to get your initial transmission, and Flareup and I were so far away. The others will have started to head this way too."

"Others? More? How many?" Grace asked before her father could get the words out.

Ironhide looked down at his youngest charge with a little bit of surprise.

Optimous shook his head, "I don't know, Youngling."

Hound looked down at the girl, taking in her bio-signs. "It's alright, sugar." He said gently, "There were many survivors... but they won't all come at once."

Will looked to his wife. She was sitting on a chair in the lawn, leaning forward to touch her knees with her elbows.

"Many? And they're all headed here?"

Another nod.

Grace took a deep breath, "You'll all be hiding, though." She whispered, "It's not fair."

Ironhide looked down at the girl who looked back up to him, "It's not fair to any of you! Pretty soon there will be so many of you! And what will you all do? Hide forever?" she asked, "It's not right."

Optimus nodded in agreement, "When there are so many of us... we won't be able to hide anymore."

Will stared, "You can't just… _show_ yourselves!" he protested, "What do you think the Army will do when you decide to do that? They won't take it lightly!"

Optimus looked at the human male. His bio-signs were up. Ratchet looked down as well, taking note of this. He frowned, the metal plates on his face making noise as they moved, "Why does this bother you?" the medical officer asked.

Will sighed deeply, and looked up at them, "Look. To them.. you'll be invading."

Grace breathed in the word, whispering it to herself. Yes. She'd spoken to Ironhide about this before. She'd mentioned how she felt about it and how they might take it.

"This is our home, as well as yours." Optimus said calmly.

William stared, "I… I don't think you're doing the right thing, Optimus." He said, falling back against his chair.

Sam shook his head, "I have to disagree with you, Lennox." He said suddenly, listening to his wife putting their son down to bed, "I think that if they became public that people would take it really well."

Grace said nothing, sitting against Ironhide.

No matter what any of them said, however, there was only one fact remaining.

The human race was not alone, and they would no longer be sharing their planet with simply a handful of these autobots. There would be more.

They were coming.

_**I just want to pass along a message from **_**CareBeat1**_** to everyone who might be reading/reviewing her TF-FF entitled '**_**Fix You'**_**. For a little while, she's going to be busy, so I'm leaving everyone a line to let them know that she's going to be unable to update. **_

_**But keep an eye on her! She'll be back soon!**_

_**I… am so lazy. And I'm so sorry. But the story will be at its head and end soon! Thank you for reading! Thank you!!!! Kat**_


	35. 200 Comets

Grace listened to the other talking for a long time. She fell asleep in the grass, her head on Ironhide's foot.

When she awoke, she was lying in the bed of his truck form, covered with a thick blanket.

Sitting up, she shivered.

_Too cold to be out here in Ironhide's lap_, she thought trembling from the autumn chill, _Way to cold. Who stuck me up here anyway? Did he? Or Dad?_

Her wondering was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Hey Grace." Bumblebee was still awake from the looks of things, "Are you alright? It's cold out, do you need to go inside?" His blue optics watched her for a few moments, as she re-wrapped the quilt around herself.

"I'm cold... But I don't know if…" she paused, thinking about what she was about to say. She couldn't just come out and say that she was worried about the number of Autobots that might arrive after the ones that had arrived. She sighed, "I don't know if I'm ok…" she said softly.

Bumblebee nodded, "You're worried about the others?" he asked, "Your father seemed pretty upset." He paused, waiting for Grace to reply. She didn't, so he continued, "Your mother was quiet, too. I don't think she was comfortable either."

"You ever see the old alien movies?" Grace asked, "I think we're all wondering about how much of this is going to be like that."

Bumblebee tilted his head, "I know that humans are afraid of other races," he said careful of his words, "But despite that fear, we're not here to harm you."

The girl sighed from where she sat. Her breath formed in the air, a pale form of her own heat. "Aren't those others of the same race?" she asked.

Bumblebee hesitated, but nodded.

Somehow, he got the feeling that it wasn't the answer that Grace had wanted.

"Then the idea of an invasion- it isn't so far off." She said softly, "If _your_ kind heard Optimus, then there's no way to know if any of _their_ kind heard anything from them, right?"

Bumblebee didn't want to admit that she was right. He shifted, the only one of the autobots who had remained in his true form. Another voice came from nearby. The sounds of shifting metals and gears caught Graces attention as Hound transformed.

"Optimus would never allow the Decepticons to harm ya'll, Grace." He said gently. His southern accent had been toned down just a little bit, but she could still hear the twang of the south in his words, "And Ironhide would never let your family come to any harm, either."

Grace sighed, shivering from the bed of the truck. She touched the metal, warm under the blanket from her own body. No. Hound was right.

_But… I'm still right, aren't I?_ She wondered.

"Are you happy?" she asked, looking up at the yellow autobot, and then at the other green one in turn.

"Happy?" Hound asked, "You mean about our brothers and sisters coming to us?"

Grace nodded.

Bumblebee and Hound both nodded vigorously.

The girl sighed, curling deeper into the quilt. The red and yellow patches were little comfort against her emotions. However, she didn't argue any more. She simply sighed against the fabric, trying to keep warm.

"You should go inside." Hound said gently, "You'll weaken your immune system if you remain out here in the cold."

Grace nodded quietly, and stood up in the bed of the black Topkick. She looked down at the ground, hesitating before swinging her leg over the back. She had wanted to talk to Ironhide about this particular form. But she shook off her sleep and her cold fingers and made the jump to the ground anyway.

She landed on her feet, crouching a little bit against the ground. Ah. It was really cold, now that she didn't have the quilt covering her up. Hound picked up the quilt from Ironhide and dropped it on top of Grace, who smiled up at him a little bit.

_Maybe a world with more of them- maybe it wouldn't be so bad._

She went inside.

_But… it still wouldn't be fair to them._

* * *

He was gone the following morning. Ironhide, Optimus, Hound and Flareup… They had all left to find out who had sent the beacons.

Grace sat out on the porch of her Aunt's porch and looked up at the cold November sky. Sam had offered a ride to school, but Grace had feigned a headache. Her father was at work. Her mother had asked for a ride back to the house.

But despite her 'headache' Grace asked to remain behind.

Her mother, knowledgeable as she was about these things, nodded her head. "But I'll be back tonight to pick you up." She said warningly

Grace understood. Her mother wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to run off again.

Sam had gone to work, himself, leaving just Grace and her Aunt Mikaela to fend off Nick on their own. Grace didn't mind the little boy- he was cute, and sweet as could be.

And he seemed to understand the concept of quiet time relatively well for a little kid.

Mikaela came out, holding hot tea in one hand and the newspaper in the other. "I thought you might be interested in this." she said calmly, sliding the paper across the metal table and to the girl.

"Where's Nick?" Grace took the paper, and unfolded it.

"Watching Dora." Mikaela smiled a little bit, "I didn't even know it still plaed these days. I mean, I watched that when _I_ was a kid."

Grace smiled weakly, neglecting to mention how much she disdained the cartoon. She stared in shock at the headline of the paper.

_Over 200 comets expected to fall to earth within the next year!_

Grace blinked, and looked at Mikaela. "Comets aren't uncommon." she mumbled, "But they're making a pretty big deal over these ones."

Mikaela pointed to the picture with the NASA watermark in the corner, "That's not a comet." She said.

Grace skimmed the article for more information.

"They're bringing up the number of comets this size from about the time I was born." she said, "But this is like.. Ten times as much." she said. Math wasn't her best subject, and she knew the number was a stretch, but Mikaela nodded grimly.

"They're concerned that there will be environmental impacts from this bunch." Her Psuedo-Aunt was stone faced, "Optimus and the others... You know- " she hesitated, "Never mind. I don't know. I guess it's just strange to think that the very thing we were talking about last night is so close to being reality." She sipped her tea.

Above them, the red and gold leaves shifted and fell with a strong breeze. The sun fell on the two females. Neither said a word for a long time.

"Do you think the army knows?" Whispered Grace, looking up at the cold blue sky.

Mikaela nodded. "I'm sure they do. Your father keeps them well within the know. And Optimus and Ironhide have _never_ minced words on what the situation is like between the Autobots and Humans." her own eyes followed Graces up to the sky. She wondered if the girl was thinking the same thing that she was.

Suddenly, Mikaela felt very small.

Over the years, it had never occurred to her that Bumblebee was anything other than family. The other Autobots were included in that as well, but she suddenly felt as though it had all been an illusion.

Grace had been right before. Where would they all go? Would they remain in hiding? Was Optimus telling the truth before about them revealing themselves? And if they did- what would happen afterwards?

Suddenly, Mikaela understood why Grace had been so attached to Ironhide. Would Bumblebee leave if given the choice to live with his own kind?

Her blue eyes flickered down to the girl across the table from her.

Grace had her eyes shut, as though she were listening for something familiar.

"What if they aren't all Autobots?" Grace asked softly.

Mikaela didn't dare answer. She didn't know.

* * *

_**OK- so my sparse updating is getting out of hand. Really. I mean, I should have had this out a week ago! I had everything but the last few sentences done! But things have been hectic here- If anyone here checks out my DeviantArt account, you'll know why. My desktop is DEAD. .. I barely saved my files from it. I think we're going to have to wipe it clean and start from fresh. **_

_**BOO.**_

_**Kat**_


	36. Allies

The road under his wheels was bumpy, as tar and gravel roads can be. The air was cold, almost frigid. Still, Ironhide continued to drive. He and the others had split up miles back, and he was beginning to wonder the tactical intelligence behind that idea.

Still, The beacon was close.

As he approached, he found himself wondering who it was. He thought of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe and Red Alert and Blurr... Despite the war, he could remember better times that he had spent with each one.

Not that this particular beacon would tell him who this was. There were so many comrades that he missed so much.

But for some reason, a single thought made him slow down a bit.

_Grace_.

He'd left without even telling her goodbye.

_She knows I'll be back as soon as I can be._

Somehow, he still felt as though she'd be angry with him.

_I can't believe I'm worried about her! She's safe and sound with Bumblebee and her family. But... maybe I'll hurry up just a little bit._

* * *

Optimus felt familiar road. Yes. He knew this place very well. It was close to one of the truck stops that Liz often overnighted in. The human female shifted inside him.

She'd insisted on going.

In actuality, there was no way Optimus could refuse. The last time he'd left her alone, he'd come back and she'd been in a foul mood, with cigarette in hand.

No. Liz preferred the open road. And Optimus supposed it was best that way. He'd seen a lot of this continent with her guidance. Sure, he had to carry the loads, but it wasn't as though the time with the human female wasn't worth it. It was.

She had a lot to teach him. The human female, wise in her years, knew so much more about these humans and how they lived than anything he could have ever found out about on the internet.

And of course, he had plenty to tell her too. Her thirst to knowledge was never ending and they spent many a long night on the road talking about customs and family, friends and how life compared from one planet to the next.

_Humans aren't so different from us,_ he thought, as he followed the signal to the truck stop, _They live their lives trying to do best for their family and friends, they laugh, cry and create communities. Are we so different that they won't accept us?_

Liz frowned, looking out the window. There was a sucker in her mouth. The need to kick the habit had brought up a new one: Sweets, and plenty of them.

Removing said candy from her mouth, she pointed, "If you park over there-" she started, and then stopped, "Never mind..." she mumbled.

Sitting in the lot were two White freightliner trucks- one with a full bed of new vehicles, ticketed and ready for sale- and the other completely empty.

"I'm willing to bet the one with the silver screen of your insignia on the nose is who we're looking for."

* * *

Hound let the ground fly under him as he sped off road in the desert. The Jackrabbits and snakes got out of his way. He could hear the beacon, still several miles ahead.

"_Ye-haw!_" The sound of the cowboy's cry over his speakers disturbed any other unwary beast that might have been nearby.

Scorpions scuttled for cover.

"I'm'a commin'!"

* * *

Flareup couldn't believe the differences in coasts. The people dressed and spoke differently here.

_WELCOME TO NEW ORLEANS!_

_Bienvenue Vers la Nouvelle-Orléans!_

_(America's Most Interesting City)_

Flareup did a quick search on the city- It had been thriving stronger than ever since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There had been some stumbling for the first few years that people had come back to live- but now it was the thriving southern capital of culture that it was always meant to be.

People here spoke English primarily, but there was also a good portion of French, Spanish, Korean, Phillipino and German.

_That's good to know_. Flareup found a quiet place to pull over and change her appearance to something more suitable for a female in these parts.

She continued to download information about the area.

At the turn of the century, it had been the 35th largest metropolitan area of the United States. Once the Revival of the City had begun, it had quickly moved from 35th to one of the top twenty largest.

Flareup flickered, her red hair moving with the breeze. Even though it was a simulation, it was as lifelike as could be.

As she drifted through the streets, she wondered how much a city could change in so few a decade. The streets in some places were new, but there were others that were narrow and obviously had only been repaired and not replaced.

The signal was coming from just within the city limits on the other side of the Mississippi River. She sped up to just above the speed limit to follow the flow of traffic.

_Wait, the Beacon's changed! It's moving towards me! And fast..._ Flareup did a quick scan of the city, searching out the beacon. _Damn it's fast! Must be Sunstreaker..._

But it wasn't. Flareup hardly had time to register the red and silver detailed Honda that zipped past her at top speed. The shining new paint and rims flew past with the kind of skill that only a professional driver had.

"_Hey!_" Flareup growled and revved her engine, turning in the middle of traffic to follow, "_Hey you! Wait up!"_

Over the communications frequency she heard a familiar voice in cybertronian, "_Matrix! Is that you Flareup?"_

_"Sweet Prime! Windcharger! I thought for sure by the speed you were going that you were Sunstreaker!" _she sighed, making a show of pulling up beside him as they sped down the streets of the city, "_You can't just run around without a hologram tho- These humans can get pretty freaked out pretty easily."_

At that warning, a young man appeared int he drivers seat. His punk blond hair and bright blue eyes radiated the same newness as the paint he'd acquired on his new metal body.

He said something in French suddenly, catching Flareup off-guard. She searched for the appropriate response, filing through databases.

"Sorry." she returned in French, "I'm afraid My primary right now is English." she laughed a little bit, "But somehow, this language suits you."

Windcharger laughed in return, "I've landed with a pod of three." he said, reverting to English. His voice was heavily accented. Flareup quickly learned the english he was using was called '_Cajun English_'.

Flareup suddenly realized just what he'd said. "Wait. Three? As in, three more nearby?"

The hologram nodded, and grinned broadly, "_Allons_!" he pointed ahead, and revved his engine loudly.

Flareup blinked, staring at him.

Windcharger only smirked for a second, "It means 'le's go!" he said before speeding off.

Flareup shook her head, and followed.

From the sidewalk, a young woman snapped her digital recorder shut in shock. She stared at the two speeding vehicles and opened her mouth to gawk. "He jus'... _appeared_.. Oh-mah-God. I gotta tell Dallas." Reaching for her cellphone, she clicked through numbers as she walked down the sidewalk.

The phone on the other end rang.

"Hey Dallas? Nola here." she smiled into the phone and looked down at her recorder, "I've got a piece of _gold_ to put up on the site..."

* * *

Optimus was parked next to the white truck. The communications line was open, allowing Liz to hear the shrill sounds of Cybertronian as Optimus and the other Autobot spoke.

"Hey. How about some english? I'm too old to learn another language." The older woman protested.

The hologram flickered to life beside her.

"Yes," he said calmly, "It's probably more appropriate to speak in your native language around you." He smiled.

"Ultra Magnus- "

From the communications line came a voice. "The human Language English has so many dialects... Cybertronian is much easier." he said calmly.

Liz scratched her hand absently, "Oh? I somehow doubt that's the case for me."

There was radio silence for a moment before the voice continued, "Optimus Prime- I must find my pod- There were five of us. But I don't hear any beacons."

Optimus made a grunting sound that caused the cab to shudder softly.

Liz patted the steering wheel, "Let's go find them, then." she encouraged.

"I have no way to communicate back to the others that I'll be gone for longer than expected." Optimus said calmly to her, "It's not right to make them worry."

Liz didn't know what to say. The answer was so obvious, yet, Optimus seemed to have no idea. "Wait. So. Your radio only works so far, right?"

"Within a certain range, yes."

"So?"

"I cannot communicate to the others that-"

"I thought you told me you had access to the internet anywhere you went."

"Yes. Via Satellite."

The human laughed, making Optimus feel uncomfortable for a moment.

"For a super intelligent race- you aren't very smart." Liz pointed out, "Why don't you send them an e-mail?"

Optimus was silent.

Ultra Magnus spoke up first, "Are all humans so... loud?"

Liz laughed, "No!" she said, "Just me."

"How would I send the others an e-mail? They don't have acounts."

"Then send one to Lennox- That way, he'll know what's going on, and if the others get back before you do, he'll be able to let them in on what's goin' on." she unwrapped a Jolly Rancher and popped it in her mouth.

* * *

Ironhide reached the beacon point, but there was no Autobot in sight. The beacon had stopped transmitting nearly an hour before he'd gotten there, making him both confused and worried.

"_If you're out here, This is Ironhide._"

The communications line was silent.

"_This is Autobot Ironhide- if you're within range, please respond._"

And still; no reply.

A chilling thought washed over Ironhide as he remembered something from a battle, eons before that moment. But he dared not think it. He dared not let- even for a microsecond- the very idea into his core.

He continued his range of calls, as he searched the rather deserted area. The mountains were cold this time of year- snow had begun to fall already. It stuck to his body as he drove.

When he ran out of road to search, and gave up, and transformed back into his true form.

"_This is Autobot Ironhide- If you're within range, please respond._" he was beginning to become frustrated with the search.

The idea had returned. He felt the snow touch his optic and melt. Some autobots had a pre-arranged program. They would set their beacon to broadcast for a certain amount of time- in earth time; Six days, seventeen hours.

Many times, they would do it if they were seriously injured.

Often, by the time they were found, the enemy had found them first. They were dead.

The thought made Ironhide search harder, his optics scanning for anything that might be debris.

After nearly two hours of searching, he found it. Ironhide stared at the debris in the mountainside. Thankfully, it was far enough from anything, that no humans would have been able to see the crash.

"_Hello-"_

The weak respond came after nearly a full minute; but it was barely a word.

Ironhide stared at his companion, laying in the snow. His body was crumpled. "_Skids?_"

The Autobot lifted it's head long enough to nodd.

"_What happened? Why didn't you respond to my calls?_"

"_My com-line is busted." _the Autobot replied,_ "Speaking out loud is about all I've got right now. I just went through three miles worth of rock before I landed here. So gimme a break, will you?"_

Ironhide felt like laughing from relief. But he couldn't show the soft side to anyone. Except Grace. If he didn't show her his soft side from time to time, she'd probably find a way to kill him.

_"We need to get you a disguise."_

* * *

_**Yay! another chapter! Yay! Thanks for the reviews! (Kat)**_


	37. Jellyfish

_**Beach Closed Due To Jellyfish**_

The sign was freshly put up- the metal glinted in the headlights from the vehicle that drove up and parked right in front of it.

Tom passed his joint across to Janet. She took a deep breath. "Man-" she whispered, "It's so nice to be out here... So quiet man."

Tom glanced back up at the sign as he hauled out his backpack from his Beach Buggy. "Yeah. That's why when the beach is closed, it's best to come out here to have some time with the universe." his voice was quiet.

"Yeah..." Janet whispered, "The _universe_. You got any Moon Pies?"

"Yeah..." he put his arm around her shoulder, and the two traipsed down in the sand.

Faling from the sky, he crashed into the water- causing a salt water rain to fall on the two young adults.

"Woah. The universe is like- talking to us with the rain."

"Yeah. Wow." Janet agreed softly, taking the rest of the joint and breathing deep.

Several jellyfish fell to the ground with soft 'plop' noises.

Janet blinked, looking at Tom, "Wow. That's gross, man." She shuddered involuntarily, "I, like, hate jellyfish." she nudged one with the bottom of her bright pink flip-flop, "There's something wrong, man, with something that just eats and stings and sting and eats and, like, doesn't do anything else."

Tom didn't answer. His mouth was busy hanging open as he held a fresh joint up. He'd been intending to light it up, but in the pale milky light of the night, was a metal monster in the water. And it was walkin towards them.

"Yo. Tom?" The girl glanced over at her boyfriend. She blinked, brushing her long bangs behind an ear as she turned to face the same direction he did.

"Mother Mary, Jesus and God." Tom stared, "Hey babe- Did you add something to the weed?"

Janet shook her head as the metal monstrosity knelt in front of them.

It watched them, blinking the bright blue optics as jellyfish slid from it's metal plating. It didn't seem to be disturbed by the little globby creatures.

"Swee-eet." Janet said softly.

Tom held up his hand, and made the vulcan welcome sign, "Uh. You come in peace, right, bro?"

The metal being tilted it's head and made a gibbering sound for a split second before saying, "Uh. Yeah, man. Peace." It mimicked the gesture.

Janet smiled, "Wow man. Aliens are really robots." she smiled hazily up at the creature.

It stood up and scanned the older than dirt beach buggy, down to every last sticker and scratch, and began to shift and mold into the shape, copying every last detail.

Janet gaped, "Uh. Woah. That's like, _amazin'_."

Tom nodded, and approached the buggy carefully. "The aliens have come..." he said calmly, "And _dude_, they look like your dune buggy, Jan."

_**"Well I am going down to Yasgur's farm; Going to join in a rock and roll band; Goin' to get back to the land to set my soul free; We are stardust, we are golden; We are ten billion year old carbon; And we got to get ourselves back to the garden"**_

Janet smiled, "And ma-an. He knows Crosby Stills Nash and Young.." she smiled at Tom.

Tom looked at her, "Wanna go for a ride with the space buggy?"

The lights blinked in a welcome manner, and the two climbed into the sand blue vehicle. It continued playing the golden oldie music as it drove off down the beach.

* * *

Grace was sitting in the window of her bedroom, staring outside at the falling leaves. It was so cold out these days that she didn't want to bother going out to go to school. She didn't want to bother with much of anything these days.

Ratchet had come by the day before, with Ella. The two had remained for supper, but had really come, as Grace had guessed, to find out if there was any news from the other Autobots.

There was little. Optimus had managed to e-mail her father with Liz's hotmail account online. They were looking for the other members of a newcomers 'pod'. Grace assumed that the term meant something like 'companions'.

But that had been a week prior.

Two weeks with no sign of Ironhide, Optimus, Flareup or Hound.

Grace was becoming worried. She looked down at her fingernails. She'd cleaned them of any polish that had been on them, but hadnt bothered re-painting them. The red polish was sitting on her dresser. But she couldn't bing herself to concentrate on anything other than the fact that her friends were still gone.

_Ironhide- you'd better be ok._

A leaf fluttered onto her sill, before flying away again. Following the movement of the leaf, Grace suddenly caught sight of Bill. He was walking up the drive. His thick leather coat was wrapped tightly around him to keep the cold at bay.

Looking up, he spotted Grace in her window. He smiled at her. She didn't smile back.

Grace was happy that Bill had come to see her... but with her mind on the Autobots and what they might have encountered on the way home, or weeks prior, on the way out...

She rubbed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She needed to get her hair trimmed. Maybe she'd talk to her mother about getting it cut short. Keeping it so long made it hard to manage when she was depressed. She just didn't want to bother with it.

Sarah answered the door, and smiled weakly at Bill, "Hey honey." she greeted sweetly, "Come on in. Grace is up in her room." he was removing his shoes as she spoke.

The mother lowered her voice suddenly, "Grace is really worried about her Uncle," she said suddenly, "So if she's short with you- I'm sorry."

Bill stood up and nodded, "Sure. Thanks Missus Lennox." he smiled.

She tried to look reassuring...

But the truth was that Sarah was just as worried as her daughter was. And the pressure that Will had been getting on the base about the sudden dissapearance had become unbearable.

He'd become a bear. Grace had become quiet and moody.

And Sarah was trying to hold it all together.

For some reason, they were all taking in a sense of impending trouble. Big trouble.

By the time Bill knocked on her bedroom door, Grace had managed a ponytail. It was a good cure-all for bad hair days.

"Come in." she managed a weak smile.

Bill came in and smiled at her. She didn't get up from her bed, however.

He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Your mother said you're worried about your Uncle Hyde."

Grace nodded and sighed sofly, snuggling into Bills arms. "It's been two weeks- and he hasn't called or anything." she mumbled softly.

"He's alright. I'm sure he's tough as iron." Bill tried to assure her.

Grace laughed softly, "You have no idea."

* * *

Ironhide was, in the meantime, on his way home, two other autobots in tow. He felt like hell. Behind him was an older model Scion 2008. The black vehicle was closely trailed by an SUV- white with the red tell tale marks of a Fire Chief's vehicle.

Both Skids and Red Alert had been in the mountains, although it appeared that Red Alert had easily obtained a disguise and a fitting place in a small mountain community.

When Ironhide asked him what happened to the other vehicle, Red Alert declined to tell him. However, the fact that the Fire Chief of said small community was aware of his sentience spoke volumes.

They were all three weary. Red Alert had questioned the idea of everyone returning to California, but hadn't really argued it. He, like all the Autobots had felt, was just happy to be able to see his brothers (and sister) again.

They were just past Salt Lake City when a familiar voice came over the communications line:

"_Hey ya'll_!" A jeep came up beside them on the four lane highway. His hologram waved cheerily, "_Look who Ah've got!" _he jerked his thumb behind him with a grin.

A bright blue corvette, one of the newest on the market beeped in response. Behind the wheel was a muscular, good-looking fellow. He waved.

Ironhide groaned mentally. "_Tracks."_ he greeted as kindly as he could.

"_Don't sound so happy, Ironhide._" Tracks said almost snottily across the lines, "_After all, I crashed in the _desert_. I'm going to have dust in my gears for_ever_."_

_"Matrix forbid."_ Came Red Alerts cold response. He was tired and grouchy, too.

Hound laughed, _"Ya'll argue, but you should be happy. Everyone's safe an' sound."_

_"Hound,"_ came Tracks' voice, _"Anyone every tell you that you're entirely too optimistic?"_

_"Yup."_

_"And I bet you don't care either, that you're covered in dirt."_

_"I like it."_

_"You're a freak."_

* * *

Liz shivered from the sidelines. Optimus frowned. He'd transformed into his own form when they'd come to a place where it was appropriate.

Ultra Magnus was in his natural form. As were the two Autobots that they had discovered in the days previous-

If Liz remembered right, the one who had stolen the form of a brand new expensive 2028 model Dodge Viper was called Sunstreaker.

_Fitting,_she thought, _considering his obnoxiously bright yellow paint. It suits his obnoxiously loud personality, too._

He was trying to tell another Autobot about how he was superior in every way with his sleek new body.

_Didn't he say his name was cup? Kup? Yes. He sounds so tired. I can't even fathom traveling ten minutes with this one. Poor bastard traveled with him _light-years_ worth of time and distance._ Liz shook her head absently.

Optimus noted her tired sigh and sudden shiver. "Are you alright, Liz?" he asked gently.

Liz smiled, "Optimus, hon, I'm an old woman. The cold is unwelcome in old bones." she laughed.

"We won't be long." he assured her gently. That was one thing about her that he liked. She complained, but not in that whiny sparkling kind of way.

The old one was trying to explain where he felt the others might have landed. Ultra Magnus was trying to determine if they should all go at once, or split up into pairs.

As though he were tired of the argument, Kup transformed into the form he'd chosen from the side of the highway, A faded blue Subaru pickup. Liz felt like it suited him. "I'll continue with Ultra Magnus, Optimus." he said calmly, his drawl appearing from nowhere, as his hologram flickered to life.

The old man in the drivers seat appeared to be Liz's age, with his graying hair and thin, lined face. "You can take _him_ with you." he only showed a vague smile.

Ultra Magnus nodded, and began to transform, "Meet back here in two days?" he asked, as his own hologram appeared. Liz was surprised at the similarities between the white Autobot and Optimus.

"We'll be here! And with my brother too!" Sunstreaker said with an all too cheerful thumbs up. He fell into the form he'd chosen and revved his engine.

Liz approached Optimus carefully as he transformed.

_I think I prefer him over some of these others,_ she thought, _which is sad. I figured they'd all be kind of calm, like the others. I guess _I_ certainly figured wrong._

"Are you alright, Liz?"

The repeated question made her smile up at him as he opened the drivers side door for her. "I'm alright. Just thinking."

* * *

Bill held out the notebook for Grace to see. "Look." he said, pointing to a link, "They have _videos_." he said, "I can't believe that we're going to finally _prove_ that other life exists out there!"

Grace gawked at the site in shock. _These... these must be the people that Optimus mentioned before. The humans that were looking for them. My God. Look at the pictures!_

"Look. There have been recent sightings in Montana." Bill pointed, "Louisiana, a week ago. One in South Florida- Look. This guy says that it took the form of his girlfriends Dune buggy. God. I didn't know they even _made_ these things anymore." he waited for the video to load.

"Uh. You know these people are just fanatics, right?"

Bill made a face, "Maybe. But you gotta admit, there's some pretty compelling evidence."

"You believe them?"

Bill nodded, "Yeah. My older brother _saw_ one when they invaded when I was a baby."

"He saw one?"

"Yeah- totally. It landed in the neighbors pool."

Grace felt like crawling in a hole and dying. Wasn't that how Ironhide had said he'd landed? In someone's pool? He'd mentioned something about a 'tooth fairy', but...

_Oh God. What do I do? What if it shows Ironhide? Or worse, one of those Decepticons? What if these crazy people go lopking for a Decepticon, thinking that it's a good guy? What if it _tells_ said person that it _is_ the good guy, and the Autobots are the bad guys?_

"You alright Grace?"

Grace smiled weakly, "I.. Yeah.." she laughed a bit, "Your brother saw an alien. That's pretty cool."

Bill nodded, "Yeah. He helps out on the website for sightings." he lowered his voice, "He thinks that they're here to help us advance ourselves."

Grace felt like screaming. _Optimus! Ironhide! Ratchet, Even! Where are you?!_

_**Ok- a update. and FINALLY, the human movement up front! Yay! Enjoy. (Kat)**_


	38. The HumanET Movement

Grace stared in horror at the film on her notebook screen. There, in full view, was Flareup. Her buxom hologram was speaking to an empty sports car- and out of nowhere, a blond haired man appeared.

Or rather, flickered to life.

Grace recognized the holographic image easily. She'd seen them come to life time and time again.

_Flareup.. You are so. Dead._

"But look-" Bill clicked away from the video, "There's this one too. _This one_ blows my _mind_."

The link he clicked opened clearly and quickly. Whoever had shot the short video had only managed a shaky view from behind what appeared to be a vehicle door.

But there it was. The little silver creature was passing through traffic easily- too easily. Nobody seemed to notice it at all.

_I... don't know who that is._ Grace thought in wonder, _but you can bet both Daddy and Optimus are gonna be livid when they see this site! _

It stopped at a police car. The door opened. There was nobody inside. And then it drove off.

Without a driver.

"Did you see that thing? I mean- woah. and look at this." he pulled something up on the screen and typed in a command for the video. It re-opened, zoomed in and after a second, Bill paused it.

"Look." he said, pointing at the creature. "I mean, _look_ at it. It's not a puppet, and there's _no_ battery pack." he glared a the little metal monster, "It looks like a little demon, doesn't it?"

Grace nodded quietly in agreement.

"But that's not even the half of it. There are people all over the world sending in videos, pictures and stories about these things. And you know what?"

"What?" She couldn't stop herself from sounding un-enthused.

"they're almost _always_ machines. Cars, planes, trucks, helicopters-"

Grace held up her hand, "This is insane, Bill!" she had to force herself to laugh at him. It was unconvincing to say the least, "If it were real, wouldn't the government have pulled down the site by now?" _God, why __**haven't**__they!?_

Bill smiled at her, putting a finger in the air, "The government has pulled down the website six different times."

Grace rolled her eyes, "Right. The government totally did it. And if they did, then _why_ is it still up and running?"

Bill made a face that showed his irritation with Grace's lack of belief. "It was a government ISP." he said, "that hacked and tore down our first six addresses. Now, tho, We're on an international domain. Even if they pull it down, the site gets between six and twenty thousand hits a _day_. People know this is real."

Grace didn't know what to say, as he pulled up photograph and after photograph of monolithic creatures- their metal glinting in both day and night.

The most disturbing ones were the ones that Grace saw had been taken in Nevada an Arizona. The glowering red Optics, the towering metal limbs-

The Autobots could have been equally frightening...

But it was those Optics. The fierce redness of them. The demanding spirit behind them.

There were others, not so sure, blurry, out of focus, possibly fraudulent- However, Bill focused on the clearer ones. The ones that Grace knew, without a doubt, were real.

He suddenly paused at one of the newer photographs. "That's weird." he mumbled, peering at it.

Grace wasn't looking. Her eyes and mind were out of focus, "What?"

"Isn't that your Uncle?" he pointed to the screen.

Grace snatched the laptop computer from him and held it closer. Three vehicles were apparantly driving down the interstate. There was a bright yellow circle around the window of the emergency vehicle.

No Driver.

But at the head of the three was the Topkick truck, and behind the wheel...

_Ironhide_.

"Where was this taken?" She asked, "When? Do you know?"

Bill took the computer back, "Sure. If you click on the blue link underneath, usually people leave the information for you."

* * *

Liz listened to the drone of Optimus Primes engine working. She'd be unusually silent since this new trip had begun.

Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Optimus spoke up to break the silence, "You've not been like yourself, Liz."

His voice had become a comfort to Liz over the past months. She relaxed almost instantly, but was still-

He didn't know.

There was something different about the older woman.

"I'm alright, hon." she said gently, "I'm just thinkin'."

"About something in particular?"

Liz smiled vaguely. "Of course, something in particular. What other kind of thing would I be thinking about?" she responded. A candy wrapper was being rolled between her fingers. The metalic and brown colored cellophane made a soft crinkling sound as she worked it.

"Forgive me, friend- what were you thinking about?" Optimus was trying to be as gentle as possible with her. Something was unnatural about her sudden slouching posture and her silence.

Somehow, the Autobot didn't feel the need to look up what these things meant. With Liz, he was almost certain that it meant he needed to approach whatever this was with a certain amount of care.

The road gave way to gravel as they pulled off the highway, and into a parking lot. The small town they'd entered was so tiny, in fact, that it had only one gas station, and a tiny diner in the same building- but nothing else.

"I'm just thinking about my boys." she said softly, "You know- my eldest. He would've been forty-four this year. On the fourth. Special birthday." she mumbled. She didn't bother looking at the hologram next to her.

Optimus didn't know what to say. His internal clock told him that today was not the fourth. It wasn't until the following week.

Liz kept talking, her voice soft and old, suddenly, her age apparrent. "We'd've gotten together. Probably in Florida- he always liked the south Hollywood area, though God only knows why. His wife would have made the same face she always made when I came to visit. Like she'd just been forced to eat some god-forsaken vegitable. But she'd deal with me anyway. She always did."

Sunstreaker interrupted her thoughts, "Optimus, I'm not getting a readin' on the beacon."

The hologram was still watching Liz, but Optimus responded anyway; "I'm searching the immediate area for any sudden activity."

Liz spoke up, "You know-" she mumbled, "this is a pretty small area, but look at these houses." she pointed, "If one of ya'll came to hide, it wouldn't be hard. Some of these driveways have three and four cars."

Optimus wanted to hear her talk about her boys, but he realized that she was right. The houses were all fairly large. They were probably million dollar homes, with private security features and all.

"I'd be in a city if I had this kind of means." Sunstreaker said suddenly, "Why live out here in nowhere with one station and a gravel drive?"

"Retired." her voice was barely audible, "They're all probably retired. They have the gran'kids over on the weekends, and go out for long drives when they like..." she looked over at the hologram of Optimus staring at her.

"You know who you look like?" she asked suddenly.

He shook his head.

"Willie Nelson." she laughed, "You know, it's funny, because I-" she was looking past him now at a red Viper. It was a spectacular model- probably from the early part of the century. But the bright red paint glittered as though it were new.

"No driver!" she pointed.

The engine started immediately. But Sunstreaker was out in the road first, "_Hey! Sideswipe!Where are you headed in a hurry!? You idiot! you don't have a hologram!"_

Liz blinked, as Optimus smiled. She was amazed at the realistic facial expressions. Right down to the half-concealed worry in his eyes.

"I'll be fine. I'm just an old mopey biddy." she said with a smile.

Optimus rumbled off down the road.

* * *

"Who _are_ all these people anyway?" The girl mumbled, watching him pull up the information.

Bill smirked, and pointed to the black banner at the top of the page.

**The Human/Extra Terrestrial Movement**

Working to Uncover the Mystery

Grace made a face, "The human and extra-- Are you kidding me?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit, "That's the most retarded name I've ever heard. And just what mystery are they trying to 'uncover' anyway?"

Bill frowned, and snapped the notebook lid shut. "Look. I didn't come up with the name, I'm just a member."

Grace was surprised at his defensiveness. "I'm sorry. I'm just confused."

Bill rolled his eyes, "Look. It's just that.. the human race deserves to know that there is another life form out there. And they're here. They're driving among us. Flying above us. Zipping past us on the tracks. We _deserve_ to know that we're not alone."

"What if they're not here to help."

"They are."

"How do you know?" Grace couldn't believe she'd just asked that question. How _did_ they know?

Bill grinned, "Why travel _all _that way _**just**_ to destory us?"

It was sound enough logic, Grace supposed, but still incorrect.

* * *

Will looked down at Glen. "You sure you've got the right one?"

"It's the same ISP as last time. You can't change it like you change your socks, man." The man looked up at Lennox and took off his glasses for a moment to wipe them clean, "I've got it. You know they're just gonna keep creating these sites though, right?"

"We've got to keep these things off the internet, Glen." Will said carefully, "The-"

"You know that these people realise that this is more than just a glitch? If we keep deleting the page these guys'll go public." Glen pursed his lips, "But, I'll try again..."

"Is there a way that we can tell where he lives?"

"Sure." Glen tapped on the keys as he spoke, "But what're you gonna do?" he reached for his can of Red Bull, "Go to his place and threaten him?" he snorted, rolling his brown eyes, "I can see it now. 'Uh- listen kid. you gotta stop posting the truth. Yeah. Because the truth is actually a lie. And.. uh. We're-"

"Glen, shut up and just take care of it, will you?" Will rubbed his head, the heat of the room making him sweat a bit, despite the cold weather outside, "God. Every other person here just does what I say.. but not you. Nooo. Of course."

"Hey. Ya'll recruited _me_. Not the other way around."

* * *

_**Hi all! So, wow. here were are with more autobots, and **_**finally**_**, more information about the humans who are looking for the Autobots! Yay! I'm getting somewhere!**_

_**Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that I am now also posting **_**Iron and Grace**_** on the Transformers Fanficton Archive. **_

_**OH! And a HUGE thanks to everyone who has contributed to the 700+ reviews I've received over the past three months. I am so happy that you continue to enjoy my little bunies of doom as they plot along. (Kat)**_


	39. Uncovered

Ironhide rumble into the Lennox driveway at approximately three in the morning on a friday.

Grace stirred from her dreams. The glowing red eyes of little metal creatures were haunting her, still, as she rubbed her eyes.

"So.. noisy.." she mumbled, crawling over to the window of her bedroom. Sure enough, sitting in the driveway, lights turning off, was the enormus black truck.

"Ironhide!" Grace scrambled out of her bed, grabbing her long robe to cover her pajamas, and racing as quietly as possible down the stairs.

She opened the front door. Standing outside in the dark was the ghostly figure of Ironhide's hologram. He looked at her, as she stepped onto the frosty ground with her bare feet. Grace shivered and ran up to him, almost losing her balance from the slippery frost.

"I was so worried!" she said, trying to keep herself from crying, "You took so long, and we heard back from Optimus... and Hound and Flareup came home a week ago.. but not you!" she stared up at him, shivering in the cold night.

His figure was slightly illuminated, making the illusion of his figure even more surreal. He smiled at her weakly. His door opened, and he motioned for her to get in.

"You'll get sick if you stay in the cold. Come here. We'll talk." he said gently.

Grace thought she heard the sounds of a mutual emotion in his voice. The kind that was so glad, and relieved.

She climbed in, relishing the familiar feel of his soft seats and the faint smell of metal and fabric and oil. "I missed you- and I was so worried." she snuggled down into his seats. There was heat coming from the vents, though the sound of Ironhide's engine was amiss, "But you're ok... That's what matters."

Ironhide smiled inwardly. No matter how quiet he had tried to be while coming up the drive, she'd still heard him. Grace had been worried about him, concerned over _his_ well being.

"I was concerned about you while I was away as well." Ironhide said. His voice was soft, "But it is very early- you should sleep more, as you have school in the morning."

Grace sighed, laying her head back, "I don't want to go to school tomorrow." she protested quietly.

The cab of the truck fell silent, as Grace sighed softly. She was so tired- so _relieved_- that it didn't matter anymore.

"Go back inside and go to bed, Grace." Ironhide scolded softly, "Your mother and father will worry if you aren't inside when it's time to wake."

"They'll know where I'm at." Her eyes were shut.

He wanted to protest the female, but instead, Ironhide chose to remain silent, as she fell back to sleep, laying in the seats of his cab.

* * *

Ironhide was surprised the following morning when Will came out and refused to allow Grace to take Ironhide to school. (Or vice versa, as is often was.) When he climbed up into the cab, he looked down at the steering wheel.

"Ironhide, buddy, we gotta talk."

"You sound unhappy."

William Lennox sighed a bit and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, "I _am_ unhappy." he said, "I got my ass chewed out because I couldn't tell anyone where you were... And then when someone finally came to me to let me know..." he sighed again, giving a frustrated grunt.

"Let you know-?" Ironhide came to life beside him, looking groused and concerned, "What's going on?"

"The government knows how many of you came to earth recently."

"I... can't say I'm surprised."

Ironhide began to drive, going towards the military base. "Optimus was fairly clear about what we were willing to divulge- I'm not surprised that your military chose to keep a particularly close watch on us."

Will stayed silent, "There's more." he murmured.

"More?"

"You remember those people that Optimus told us about months ago?"

Ironhide was silent for a moment, "The ones who were looking for us, yes. I remember, why?"

"They've seen you guys." William tapped the leather again impatiently, "I mean, as in, really _truely_, seen you guys. There are photographs, videos, and reports from all over the world."

"_The world?_"

"There are reports from Russia, New Zealand and Thailand." William took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "We're trying to cover it up, but these people- these _Human and Extra-terrestrial Movement_ members... They are opening sites faster than we can shut them down."

"There.. are more of us..." Ironhide managed, "Does Optimus Prime know?"

"I haven't gotten in touch with him about it yet. First- I need you to see what's going on... Glen wanted us to meet up with him in the hanger bay- he said he had something really important to show me before we headed out to see the newcomers."

* * *

Grace frowned, staring off into the sky from her seat in the classroom. At the front of the room, Mr. Hodgekins was lecturing about the environmental decay of the last two decades of before the millenium.

"In twenty ten, when the U.N. decided that the emissions cut was no longer enough, they put an international ban on vehicles in over three-hundred volunteered cities. The following result--"

Grace was listening, but only to about half of what he was saying. All she could think about was going home.

_I want to ask him how many there were. And what they're like, and what they know!_

She twirled her pencil in her hand. Someone tossed a note onto her desk. Looking up, Grace smiled at Bill, who was grinning like a buffoon in her direction.

She glanced up at Hodgekins who was facing the white-board and writing notes in his scrawling letters.

**There was a new post today from someone in Utah- I want to show you at lunch**

**-Bill**

Grace frowned suddenly and looked back at him.

Bill smiled and then looked back to the front of the classroom.

* * *

The computer monitor buzzed as Glenn scrolled through the images, "Here we have... Lessee. Looks like Flareup." he pointed to the screen, "A couple of non-identifieds in Britain.. Ah. And then there's this one."

He enlarged a picture that had been posted that morning, "Some chick in Utah was on vacation with her family... Saw this lovely little caravan on the way. Look familiar?" He asked.

Ironhide leaned down, his optics taking in the image.

William looked up at Ironhide, "You _idiot_! You were driving without a hologram!?"

Ironhide glowered, "I was unaware that she was watching."

"You _Idiot!_" Will shouted again, "I oughta have those scientists pull your head off and search for a brain! You're supposed to be hiding! _Undercover!_"

Ironhide stood up straight, looking as grouchy as ever, "The best thing to do is simply advise Optimus-"

Glenn shook his head, "Wait up guys, there's just one other thing I wanted to show you."

William, looking as though he could punch holes in concrete whipped back around to the young man, who's dark skin was illuminated by the screen, "More?! What _now?!_"

"This." he turned the screen towards the older man, "You have any idea what this is?"

Ironhide suddenly sounded angrier than he'd ever sounded before, "I do. And when I find out who did this..."

* * *

Lunchtime came too quickly. Grabbing the chair in front of Grace, Bill whipped it around faced her desk. "Before I show you this, I want to ask you something."

Grace peered at her peanut butter sandwich. Not looking up, she pulled the top slice of bread up and looked inside, "Uh-huh."

"Is your uncle an alien?"

Grace sat up as though she'd been shot, "Huh- What?"

"Your Uncle Hyde- Is he an alien?"

"What the hell would make you ask a question like that?" Grace asked, fumbling with the sandwich in front of her. _Oh god. What __**would**__ make him ask something like that?!_

Bill was opening up his mini-notebook and gave it a moment to load before responding, "Well, it's just that... some chick in Utah uploaded a picture of the same vehicles as we saw before... but..." he turned it around to face her, "This _is_ your uncles' truck, right? Same plate number... _No driver_."

Grace felt her heart stop. It suddenly felt as though the world was rushing past her and she was standing still. "My.. Uncle 'Hide's not an alien." she mumbled, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Then your truck is."

"My truck's not an alien." she said with her mouth full.

Bill suddenly looked frustrated, "... Grace..." he said coldly, "Why are you _lying_ to me? It's _your_ truck there. It's your truck in the _same_ group without a driver as before, and it's _your truck_ that's lacking an obvious driver. If you know something..."

Grace stood up, unable to listen anymore, "Bill, you're insane." she said coldly, and stormed off to find somewhere to hide until lunch was over.

The boy sat at the desk, leaning over the desk. He stared at the picture for a long moment.

"I know... you know..." he whispered, shutting the lid of his mini with a snap.

* * *

"It's a Cybertronian nervous system."

William looked up at Ironhide. He took a deep breath and let it out, "I... swear, Ironhide. I had no idea." he said, "If I had, I never would have let them do the things they did..."

Ironhide looked away from the image and focused his optics on Lennox. _His bio-signs show he's telling the truth. I wouldn't doubt him, but this has gotten too far out of hand. For these humans to create something like this..._

"Where is he located?" Ironhide asked.

"Ah... It is Blairmore, Alberta."

"That's where it is?" Will asked.

Glenn shook his head, "No. It _is_ the entirety of the town..."

"What!?"

Ironhide nodded, "It makes sense. Humans do not yet have the technology that would be needed to recreate our complex networking at the levels of which we work."

He looked down at the two humans, "Lennox- I must alert Optimus." he said calmly, "I'm sure you understand... there will no longer be any cooperation of this nature from us."

* * *

_**It took me forever to sort though my notes and figure out what I wanted from this chapter. I know that this is a very jumpy chapter, and I apologize, but I finally got out what I needed to so I could move on. FINALLY. Questions regarding why the United States Military is in Canada will be answered soon, so please, no reviews about how I screwed up- I actually did know what I was doing this time! Thanks:)  
**_

_**Also, I just want to let everyone know that I am going to aim for a once a week update from here until the end! So please, take the ride with me!**_

_**God, I'm so slow. XD. Kat**_


	40. Your Full Cooperation

He threw the file down at the man sitting behind the desk, "When were you planning on letting me know that you were doing this?!" William Lennox glowered down at the older man sitting in his leather chair.

The man looked down at the papers, now scattered on his desk. Leaning forward, the Colonel arched an eyebrow. "Ah. The files on Metroplex." he said calmly, "When did you find out about this? Were you poking around where you shouldn't have been?"

Lennox glowered, "This is wrong, Colonel Ridge. You're _cloning_ them!"

"Major, step. Down." the man leaned forward, folding his hands in front of him, "You have officially stepped over your bounds-"

"Over my bounds?! Are you insane?" Will felt the anger boiling inside, "Are you_insane_?" All common sense that he had, had flown away when he realized what was going on. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he could be court marshaled for this, "The Autobots are my responsibility. I'm the one who leads the research into this... if you're going to do these things, I need to know!"

"Major Lennox." Colonel Ridge narrowed his eyes, "The United States Army is _not_ at your disposal. You are in charge of these aliens- _not_ what we choose to do with the information that we gain from researching them." Leaning back into his chair, the older man frowned, "however, the fact that you've found this _top secret_ information... It concerns me."

"You're cloning them, Colonel. Please, you have to-"

"I don't _have_ to do anything, Major Lennox." the older man said. His hair was solid gray. His cold blue eyes pierced Lennox to the core, "As a matter of fact, I don't even have to tell you that your insubordination can mean your career is over."

Lennox glared, trying to supress the need to launch himself across the table and start beating his Superiors' face into the fine oak table.

"But, I'll leave it in tact- for now." The colonel pressed his lips together thinly, "So long as you continue to do _everything_ you're told."

Lennox felt his breath catch, "I wont do anything that will put them in danger."

The Colonel nodded, "Certainly, I understand. You've become friendly with the enemy-"

"The _enemy_? Colonel Ridge, you're mistaken-"

"And as a result, you've put your family in direct danger." Ridge continued.

Lennox stopped talking.

"I see you've decided to listen." the man picked up a couple of sheets of the classified documents. He began to neatly stack them in front of him, "See, if you wont cooperate of your own free will... well. There are really only two options that are available to us." he glanced up at Lennox for a moment, "One would be to court marshal you for hacking into top secret security files. The result would be guilty- of course- but you're too dangerous to be put in prison, aren't you?" The sound of papers being clicked against the wooden desk was loud in the quiet room, "They'd probably come looking for you. It might cause trouble."

The fan above the two of them spun lazily, clicking silently in it's lazy rotation. Despite the growing chill outside, it was warm in the private office.

"Our other option, of course, is less desirable than your cooperation."

Lennox remained silent.

"It would, you see, involve interfering with your family in order to secure your cooperation." Ridge slipped the papers into a folder, and then slid them across the desk to Lennox, "Of course, the option is yours."

"You son of a bitch."

"Glad to have your cooperation, Major."

* * *

Upon hearing the familiar rumble of engines, Grace sat up at the kitchen table. Her homework, scattered in an array of directions in front of her, was abandoned, as she ran outside to see who it was.

Her heart soared when she saw Liz climbing out of Optimus' cab in her driveway.

"Liz! Optimus! I was so worried about you guys!" she shivered in the chill of the late afternoon.

Liz smiled a bit, and waved. A hologram appeared in front of the Peterbilt truck. He looked unhappy. "Is your father home?" he asked, "I don't see Ironhide."

Grace's smile faltered. She shook her head, "No. Daddy called Mom saying he was going to be late tonight. Is something wrong?"

Liz put her hand on Graces shoulder, standing beside her, "We should wait for your father, dear." she said gently. Looking over her shoulder at Optimus, Liz seemed to wait for his approval.

He smiled and nodded at her approvingly.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Liz looked down at the looseleaf notebook papers laying about. "Homework, is it?"

"Gotta do an essay on the fuel changes that took place in twenty-eleven." she grumbled, "I love history, but really- what's the point of making us write essays. All it does it show how incredibly sloppy my handwriting is."

Liz laughed, "I suppose so."

"I mean, really. I know this stuff, but at least let me type it up so it's legible."

Shaking her head, Liz sat down at the table, taking out a hard candy from her pocket and unwrapping it. "Where's your mother?"

Grace made a motion with her pencil towards the garage, "Doing laundry." she mumbled, erasing a word on her paper. She sighed.

"How long have you been working on this? It's nearly six." Liz glanced down at the meager paragraph that the girl had written.

"Since I got home at four." Grace grumbled, and sighed again, putting her head on the table, "I can't concentrate."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them.

"Bill thinks he knows that Ironhide is an alien."

liz leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. There was a faint click and buzz and the heater came on. She took a deep breath, "I see." she nodded, "Did he say why?"

Grace shoved her papers away and nodded, "It's that goddamned website."

"You shouldn't cuss in front of an old lady." Liz joked.

Blushing and sighing softly, Grace averted her eyes, "There was a picture on that website... and now Bill is certain that Ironhide's an alien."

"Well.. he is."

"Like I'm going to tell _him_ that!" Grace sputtered angrily, "I can't tell him anything... I can't tell anyone anything..." she murmured, "I can't put the Autobots out there like that."

Liz reached across the table and took the teenaged girls hands in her own. "Honey- believe me when I say to you; there _will_ come a day when you miss having them to yourself."

* * *

Ironhide whipped out his cannons, transforming and then pausing as Lennox stood in front of him, "I know you're angry, Ironhide-" he said firmly, "But I can't let you do this."

"Why the hell not?" demanded Ironhide.

"You must cooperate." Lennox stressed, "If you don't..." he hesitated, "Ironhide- these people hold me entirely responsible for what you guys do."

Ironhide growled, but didn't bother to put away his weapons. He snapped his eyes down to Lennox, "What do you mean, entirely responsible. We are responsible for our own actions."

"That's _not_ how the military sees it, Ironhide." Lennox said. He was prepared to plead, "Listen to me- if you blow up this facility, these people are going to take Grace and Sarah and hold them until I get you guys to do what they want. Do you understand?"

Suddenly feeling the urge to bark out his frustrations, Ironhide let out several sounds that sounded very intentional. There were words that could only be said in cybertronian to show his frustration at the situation.

"What... do they want from us?" he demanded, his cannons whirling and falling back into storage.

Lennox took a deep breath.

"They want your complete cooperation in completing this project."

"No."

_**I said once a week- but I didn't promise it would be great. I'm so sorry... the next part will be better! I promise!! Kat**_


	41. Leaving Home

Optimus took a deep breath and let it out. His frustrations were mounting. And the latest news did nothing to assist his mood.

"They're trying to create an autobot!" Ironhide thundered, "And they've threatened Lennox's family if we don't cooperate!"

"It wont be just his family that they'll threaten in the end." Liz spoke up carefully, "The military will attempt to control every last resource they have by threats if need be." she carefully pulled out a cigarette and lit it, "Four weeks clean, and one mess is enough to send me into nicotine with-drawls.." she murmured, shaking the match she used out and tossing it aside, "look. If the military knows about Grace knowing Ironhide's true self- odds are they'll find out about me, about Ella.. about ANYONE that knows about you." she sighed deeply, "I'm not worried about threats.. I've got a record- there's not much that they'll do other than throw my old ass in jail-"

"Records?"

Liz took a puff of her cigarette and looks up at Flareup, "I have a couple of... incidents with the law..." she said with a shrug, "nothing major- just little things."

Flareup didn't make mention of it again.

"We must go to this... Metroplex." Optimus said carefully, "The Lenox family will accompany you, Irohide-" he paused looking at Ratchet, "Ella is with you at all times from now on."

Liz said nothing. She already knew what had been unspoken. She would accompany him as he has accompanied her over the past months.

Lennox stared, "... Accompany? Wait- Optimus, you're talking about uprooting my family to go to Canada! Do you even get what that entails? If the Army goes looking for us, there's no way in hell we're getting across that border!"

Optimus made a low sound, and looked back to Will, "We will manage." he said calmly, "But our priorities are your safety and to find out what your government has done."

Will nodded. "What about Sam?"

"Bumblebee took it upon himself to remain Sams guardian- as such, he will be escorting them."

"You're putting a toddler in the line of fire- At least Grace is old enough she can fight back, what would you do if the military used him against Sam and Mikaela?" Will demanded.

"Nick will not be in harms way." Optimus said firmly, "There are enough of us that we will ensure it."

Liz got the sneaking suspicion that, while he remained calm, Optimus was actually quite unhappy- silently angry. She also figured it would be best not to argue with him. The Autobot was a born leader. Time and time over, Liz had caught glances of his leadership abilities- but for the most part, they were only momentary glimpses.

Now, looking up at him, she could see from his posture, even the look on his metal face- he was the master of this situation.

Standing nearby was Ultra Magnus. He was quiet, listening carefully, offering nothing for the moment being.

"We will be splitting up into two teams." Optimus said calmly. Lennox didn't argue as Optimus divided the Autobots that were there into two groups. He would be the leader of one group, Ultra Magnus, the leader of the other.

Liz smiled to herself as she listened to him command who to go with whom. She nodded her head, more to herself than anyone else. But she was a little bit surprised when he told Ironhide to go with Ultra Magnus.

Ironhide didn't argue.

"But what about once we get up there?" Lennox asked.

Optimus looked down at him, "We've been in hiding long enough." That was all he said.

* * *

Grace stared at her father, "What do you mean go grab what you need? I don't get it- what's going on?"

"It doesn't matter- we're leaving. Go up to your room, grab the essentials, and we're going." William looked down at his daughter with the Army Major glower. She didn't dare not listen.

Sarah looked at her husband. Her daughter hurried off to her room.

"Will, honey, what's going on? Why are we leaving?" She felt a hot coal in her stomach when he turned to her.

William took his wife by her arms. "Sarah- We're leaving."

"I got that _distinct_ impression, Will." She narrowed her eyes, "_Why_ are we leaving?"

He hesitated. In all his years as a military man, he'd never had to ever explain a mission to his teams. But his family was an entirely different matter.

"I'll explain it while you get packing." he said after a long moment's silence.

Within minutes, they were all outside in the chilled air of Fall. Grace watched her father as he locked the front door of the house. She couldn't help but have a faint feeling of dispair- as though she'd never see home again.

Ironhide was waiting patiently- There was another faded blue truck with him. Just as Grace was about to climb in, she heard a familiar voice- a familiar _male_ voice.

"Grace!" Bill ran up with a smile. He seemed oblivious to the chaotic mood within the family, "listen- about earlier, you know, your uncle at all..." He hesitated. Grace turned her face away from him.

"I.. don't want to talk to you.." she mumbled, and climbed into the backseat.

Lennox looked down at Bill, "Look kid- we're leaving for a while. It's best you just go on home." His voice was firm.

Bill frowned, "What's going on? Does this have something to do with Grace's Uncle being on the site? Because Look, I'm sorry, I-"

Lenox suddenly felt pity on the boy. Even if only because he knew that it was killing Grace to keep lying to him. "Look kid, You know all that stuff you saw on the website?"

"Yeah, I know it can't all be real, but I just felt really horrible abou-"

"It's real. Shut up, and go home before you get in shit." Lennox commanded.

Within moments, both the trucks were rolling off down the road, leaving one flabberghasted teenaged boy standing in front of an empty house.

"You told him?"

Lennox glanced up into the rear view mirror, "It's not like the whole world wont know soon." he said calmly, "There are some things that people won't be able to over-look any longer."

Sarah looked over at her husband.

Ironhide's voice broke into the cabin, "We will be joining the others on the interstate- they'll be waiting for us along the way."

Grace was totally silent as they drove. She looked down at her schoolbag- now stuffed with clothes and the essentials. Suddenly, she wished she would have said something to Bill. Sure, she was irate with him for being so pushy with her previously, but really, she did like him.

A lot.

Looking out the window, Grace watched the asphalt move below the truck. She wondered what would happen if the Autobots really did go public. She wondered what would happen with Bill, now that he knew. She wondered if she'd done the right thing by keeping Ironhide a secret.

But most of all, she coldn't get rid of the sinking feeling that following her father was taking her far away from home for a long time.

She wondered when the next time she'd be able to live a normal life would be.

* * *

_**I know this chapter is ungodly short- and a day or two late. I'm sorry! But I managed to get it out!**_

_**Also- I just want to brag to EVERYONE That my nine month old daughter not only said "Mumum" for the first time this past week, but took her first steps as well! While Mumum isn't her first word (Dada), I'm so proud I could bust!**_

_**Also! BIG BIG NOTE HERE! I will be a part of NanoWriMo this year- my posts for **_**Iron and Grace**_** will continue, but if you want to keep up on my writting, you'll have to pop in on my website- http// freewebs(dot)com/therainygarden. **_

_**The updates will probably be limited to three this month- and I'm really sorry! But my goal is set- I WILL make that 50,000 word novella this year. If anyone else is joining, let me know and I'll be glad to pass along my username!**_

_**Till next update! Kat**_


	42. Travel Talk

The highway sped below them. The word was a blur, a faint motion in the window.

Liz knew the drill. She'd done many runs into Canada before. Alberta was familiar stomping ground. Getting through the border was much simpler than she thought it would be, despite the size of the caravan.

She wondered how the Lennox family was doing. She wondered how the Witwicky family was doing. Ratchet had accompanied the group she was in. Optimus, Ratchet, Swideswipe and Skids, as well as Red Alert and Flareup were in the caravan of vehicles she was with.

The only other human in the bunch, being Ella- who had little to do with anyone other than Ratchet.

Still, despite the fact that they had been able to cross the border with no issue or concern- Liz couldn't help but feel as though this were the calm that was going to come before the storm.

_If there was ever a time when I was worried for how things were going to end up- this is it,_ the woman thought with a heavy sigh, _I don't think I've been this afraid since my boys passed on._

"Liz?"

The older woman smiled a bit, "I'm fine, Optimus," She said gently, "I was just thinking about how... easy it was to get through the border."

The flicker of his hologram caught Liz's attention as he appeared, "It was a bit simple."

"_Too_ simple. The last time I made a run to Canada, even though my truck was empty, I had more paperwork to fill out than people who _immigrate_ up here." she joked. But for some reason, Optimus couldn't find the humor in her statement.

"You feel something is going on?"

"I feel like someone just held open the welcome gate and rolled out a red carpet." she said sourly, "Too easy." she repeated.

Optimus suddenly felt inclined to agree.

_If the military knows that we're on our way, they'll be expecting us. And to make things this easy- they're setting something up. They have to be._

* * *

Grace was becoming fidgety. Ironhide couldn't help but get frustrated as she tapped the glass of his back window with her knuckle.

"Stop it." He commanded calmly, "Stop tapping on the window."

Lennox blinked, uncertain as to who Ironhide was speaking to for a moment. When Grace shifted in the backseat and made a heavy sigh, he knew.

"Grace- just relax," Sarah said gently, "I know you're worried and nervous, _I know_, but try not to make Ironhide insane, alright hon?"

Grace didn't reply. She shifted again, drawing her knees up against the back of the seat, and resting them there, feet dangling.

"Don't ignore your mother," Will commanded calmly, "Be respectful enough to at least answer her."

"Yes, sir." Grace mumbled, followed by: "Sorry, Mom."

Ironhide monitored how long it would be until they reached the border. "We should be reaching the American-Canadian check point within the hour," Ironhide said, his voice gentle, despite his own impatience.

Grace could see Bumblebee through the rear window, Sam at the wheel and Mikaela leaning over into the backseat to comfort Nick. She suddenly wondered if Nick understood what was happening. He was just a child, but he had grown up knowing about Bumblebee.

_Unlike this whole thing with Ironhide and I,_ she thought. She pursed her lips and turned her attention to her MP3 player. The little green device made the trip at least tolorable, if nothing else.

_I wonder how Bill is_.

The thought of the boy who had been pushing her so hard over the website made Grace sigh heavily. She shut her eyes, clipping her ear-phones on, and turning up the music.

_Stop thinking about him. By now, the idiot probably has a blog up about you and Ironhide on every weirdo-website on the internet._

* * *

_**This is a very short chapter. Barely a real chapter, in actuality. But I need to apologize to everyone who has waited throughout the entire month of November for me to update! I'm so sorry! **_

_**I will be updating with a new chapter of Iron and Grace next weekend, when things have calmed down here! **_

_**Next chapter blues? How about a little tease-hint? Can anyone here say "Decepticons"?**_

_**Till later! Kat**_


	43. Testy Much?

_**Before we get on with this chapter, I just want to take a quick moment to let everyone know what's going on over here. **_

_**NaNoWriMo was bust- Actually, all of November was a bust. That's really all there is to that, anyway.**_

_**But in the meantime, I need to just stop and take a deep breath. November was an eye opening month. I really need to break down and get back to work on my original work. **_

_**Iron and Grace… well. As much as I'd like to claim it's original, it's still 100 fanfiction, with all the pre-made characters, places and things to start with. My creative touch only goes so far as which way the story has gone.**_

_**Am I satisfied with it? Well. I don't know. There are a lot of things that I'm reading back on and going, "Woah. Why the FCK did I write that?" (But I think anyone who writes experiences the same thing.) I'm not really okay with how many characters I ended up including- I'm uncomfortable with writing so many people into a scene. It makes a difficult to get the **_**feel**_** of what I'm trying to portray. **_

_**With that being said, I want to make my updates once a week again. I would like to finish Iron and Grace up and make ya'll proud to be reading it. **_

_**I admit that it's hard to sit and look at a black page on the screen to create the next part: But I think that's large in part because we're getting close to the end. I mean, there's so much I want to do, and so many ways to do it… And I'm not really sure on how to go about it. **_

_**Just one request- from me as a fellow author: No more character intro requests. Please. Good god, **_**PLEASE.**_** No more. **_

_**So please. Bear with me. Your support is really helping speed things along. And with over 100,000 hits (is it sick that I wish I had a dollar for each one?), 822 reviews, 210 alerts and 173 faves… I can't help but feel empowered to see this through to the very end.**_

_**I'm sorry about the long intro- but now, **_**on to the story**

* * *

"_What the hell are you doing?"_ The whistles of Cybertronian broke through the cold air of the basement, _"These humans have enough issues with us as it is. If we're caught down here, the entire plan will be out the exhaust-"_

"_Shut up. I'm working. The more you talk, the less I get done."_ Snapped a cold voice. Soundwave continued his tinkering for a moment, before finally slipping a chip into the place he'd been working. _"There. This behemoth should understand Cybertronian with that."_ He said before slipping out from under the circuit panel. The blueish metal of the tiny Decepticon glinted in the cold light provided by his companion, Frenzy.

"_Once this thing gets moving, they'll never know what hit them!"_

"_Long live Megatron!"_

* * *

Sitting behind a desk in a rather nice office, was an older man with silver white hair. He looked at the files on his computer screen with a smirk.

_Two convoys, _he thought with a grim smirk, _If they're both headed this way, then why bother splitting up?_ Shaking his head, the man frowned a little bit. He had to remind himself that one of the people in this convoy was an Army man with plenty of experience.

Hitting the intercom button, he gruffly commanded the secretary to send in a black coffee.

_Is it really wise of us to be working with these… Decepticons… to be creating Metroplex? The Auto bots were unwilling to assist us whatsoever in the finer details of bringing this thing to life…_

But at the same time, the man had to ask himself: Why were the Decepticons so ready, willing, and able to help the military out with this project?

No matter how many times he asked himself this, he couldn't figure it out. Sure, they said that they simply wanted to be granted amnesty in this world full of humans who wouldn't be willing to accept their presence: But in all seriousness, they could blend in anywhere they damned well pleased.

He thought back to the incident that had been labeled '_Top Secret'_ from years back. The Colonel had sent him a copy there in Blairmore, which he was grateful for, of course, but…

He frowned. _None of this makes any sense._ He thought with a heavy sigh.

As the Secretary came in with his coffee, he thanked her, and stood up, facing the window. Looking out on the small city below his office, he shook his head.

He watched a school bus as it rolled down the street, pausing to let off a couple of kids.

He had to admit, taking a veritable ghost town and using it to build the biggest weapon ever made was pretty freakin' brilliant. For the most part, most of the citizens of the town had no idea that this little city was actually a giant robot. The military had been sure to keep that part hushed up.

But, still.

The Lieutenant Colonel sighed heavily and looked back at his desk, where the files blinked at him from the computer screen.

_We're sitting on top a robotic fortress,_ he thought, sighing into his coffee as he took another sip, _And if the Colonel gets his way- it'll be a living fortress._

Shaking his head, he took another deep breath. _We need to keep a closer eye on these.. Decepticons._

* * *

Standing in line at the counter, Grace looked down at the notebook in her hand. She didn't really know what she was thinking- or just what she was going to write yet. But she knew that what was going on would be important.

It occurred to her, though just for a mere second, that being so close with the Autobots –Ironhide, anyway- could work in her favor if she decided to pursue Ethnography when she went to college.

Sure, they were aliens, but-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the woman at the counter holding out her hand for the notebook in Grace's hand. She glanced over at her father, who was paying for the food he'd picked up.

She passed the cheap spiral-bound over to the woman who looked completely bored as she requested a little over fourteen dollars from Will Lennox.

Grace took one of the bags from the counter and headed back out to the black Truck. Her mother had used the brief stop as an excuse to stretch her legs, and was bouncing Nick on her hip.

"Aunt Mikaela go inside for a bathroom break?" Grace asked, setting the bag in the front seat of the truck.

Sarah nodded, "Yeah." She glanced at the bag, "Your father completely ignored me when I said I wanted a couple of apples, didn't he?" she sighed, "All I see in there is junk-food. Good God." She huffed with a faint smile.

Grace wasn't fooled: her mother was becoming testy. A four day drive to Alberta could make anyone reasonably grouchy- but Sarah Lennox had never really travelled all that well to begin with. Four days in the cab of a living two tonne truck just made her a bit more testy than usual.

"Mom, I only grabbed one bag- Daddy got you a couple of apples. And a bag of raisons." She says, trying to keep her mother from blowing top on her father when he came out, "It's fine, Mom, really."

"Good, because if I see you pack away one more KitKat bar, I swear, I'll-"

"Mom. It's _fine_." Grace reiterated.

Ironhides' hologram flickered to life, "Sarah, since we've crossed the border, there's little reason to be as concerned as you are." He was trying to be reassuring.

Grace groaned, "Idiot.." she managed, just before her mother went off on a tangent about how she was not concerned, but then again, she was because the family had been uprooted to a whole other _country_, and oh- did she mention that they were doing something that would end up getting them either killed or in a military prison for the rest of their lives?

Ironhide even blanched at the frustration from the blonde woman.

Will set his bag in the front seat of the truck as well and stared at his wife. "Who told her to calm down?"

"Ironhide told her that there was no reason to be concerned." Grace said with a heavy sigh, "You know- he's known her longer than I have. You'd think he'd know better than to tick her off."

Will fought the urge to laugh at his daughters' sudden smug remark. He took his wife gently by the hands and led her back to the front seat of the truck, passing her a green apple, "Look, Granny smith, right?" he said, "Eat up."

Sarah glowered at her husband, "Stop trying to shut me up with food. Are you trying to make me fat?"

"Oh,_ God_, Mom." Grace shook her head, rubbing her face.

Ironhide made a face that showed his confusion clearly as Sarah went off on another tangent. Looking back to Grace, he watched as she hoisted herself up into his bed, crossing her legs. "You can't tell me you've never dealt with mom when she's like this." She said in a flat tone.

Ironhide shook his head, "Will has never gone on any trips with her for long periods… well. Not with me, anyway." He said with an arched brow, "And now I kind of see why."

"What?" demanded Sarah, cutting into the apple with Wills pocketknife?

Even Ironhide couldn't help but blanch, "Nothing."

"Damned right nothing," the woman say with an angry look, "damned right…" she muttered, taking a bite.

"Human women are confusing and frightening creatures."

"You think this is bad? You should see her around Dad's folks." Grace said with a sigh. But even she couldn't blame her mother for the sudden change of attitude. She had her own growing fear that everything that was going on was wrong. And the closer they got to this town her father kept talking about, the stronger those inhibitions became.

"You've been unlike yourself as well."

"I'm scared." She whispered. The words were so silent that Ironhide barely heard them.

She laid out flat on his bed, looking up at the cloudy, gray sky. "I'm just a kid… This is really… I dunno." She mumbled, shutting her eyes.

"Do not worry." Ironhide was gentle, his voice quiet as well, "I will not let anything happen to you or your parents."

"And Nick?" The girl didn't open her eyes.

"It is our duty to ensure your safety." Ironhide reassured her gently, "We'll protect you."

Grace patted the metal under her absently. "Thanks."

* * *

Barricade patrolled the streets of Blairmore. The humans disgusted him- but as far as things were concerned right now, his main duty was to ensure that this massive project was completed in time to get Megatron's electronic signals into the core of the creature that they were helping the humans create.

Sure, the humans all thought this was going to help _them_, but the reality of it all, was simply that the Decepticons were going to wipe them out. Period.

And Barricade was totally fine with that. He didn't like the roves of screaming kids that spilled from the elementary school at around three-fifteen every weekday afternoon.

The teenagers with their blaring music, the adults with their bothersome need to shout across him at the teens when he was parked outside the coffee shop… They all irritated the lubricants right out of him.

He looked forward to the day that he could just squash them all and be done with it.

Especially the little old women with their ugly little rodent mammals who kept lubricating on _him_.

Frenzy returned, and he opened his door letting the little metal alien inside.

"_The humans are worthless- but this coffee stuff is amazing! I love it!"_

"_You spill it inside me again, and I'll throw you in a compacter."_ Barricade had little patience for things that pertained to humans. Especially not this coffee stuff, _"Did Soundwave take care of the chip?"_

"_Yesyesyes, he put it in, the creature will be able to do basic commands until we reach the place to retrive Lord Megatron's signals."_

Barricade started up, zipping down the street. He didn't care if he wasn't going the speed limit. He just wanted to report back to Starscream and get it the hell over with.

* * *

_**Longer chapter! YAY! Love to all! See you next week! (Kat)**_


	44. Blairmore

"Blairmore." Grace mumbled, "Blairmore. Blair. More. Blare-more?"

Sarah whipped around in her seat, "One more time, Annabelle Grace Lennox. One. More. Time."

Will grimaced, "Sarah," His own voice was becoming weary, "Grace, stop irritating your mother. Sarah…" He trailed off as they reached city limits, "We're where we should be now. Cool it, okay?"

Sarah made a face, chewing on her lip. She had long since reached the point of frazzled and it showed clearly on her face.

Grace shifted uncomfortably, "Now what?"

Ironhide was silent as they drove down the main street of the community. He was busy scanning things as discreetly as possible. Behind him, the faded blue truck that was guise for Kup.

"_I'm going to park in the lot in front of this facility, Ironhide,"_ An accented voice broke over the speakers inside the cab, _"I'll perform scans from there."_

Ironhide must have responded on the same frequency, because the next thing that the Lennox family heard was, _"I'll keep in touch on this frequency."_

Will glanced across the street, watching several children coming out of a park. "Ironhide?"

"I can't help but wonder," Ironhide said calmly as he pulled off onto a side road, "How many of the humans in this community realize that they are living on an autobot's back."

Grace found the thought unsettling. More unsettling than it should have been, she supposed. But if what Ironhide was saying was any indication, this autobot was huge. Beyond huge. _Enormus_.

* * *

Optimus felt a strange surge in his engine, That feeling that he'd often gotten before battle on Cybertron. He spoke to Liz calmly through his hologram. "If things get as bad as I think they will, you know where the weapon is?" he asked. His eyes were watching the road- not that it mattered, as they weren't real, and those eyes weren't what he was really watching with.

Liz glanced at her companion, rolling a cigarette between her fingers, "Under the seat." She said, nervously, "You're sure-"

Optimus nodded, "You'll need to be able to defend yourself if things get… complicated."

A sign whipped by.

_Blairmore: 34 km_

_We've been hiding long enough_. Liz could feel the power behind the words he'd spoken before they left. The convoy behind them was complete with those who were willing to follow every order Optimus gave.

And what if they autobots _did_ come out of hiding? What then?

Liz felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. With every sign that signaled Blairmore that much closer, the feeling became that much stronger.

"You know that if you go public… it's going to be complicated, right?" The older woman asked in a near whisper.

Optimus didn't respond for a moment, as a familiar bright red vehicle passed him, taking lead of the convoy for a while. "All things worth having, as you've told me before, are at the end of a road paved with nails." He seemed calm, still.

Liz, however, could almost feel the trepidation coming from him.

Robot or no, Optimus was still alive. As such, there were some things that he was not exempt from. Emotions were one of those things.

"What will you do, if it doesn't go over?"

"It'll have to."

"_Optimus Prime,"_ The sound of Hounds voice broke the awkward conversation, _"I'm picking up a signal two points west of here."_

"What kind of signal?"

"_Autobot, for certain. But I can't tell if they're Ultra Magnus and his gang, or if they're…"_

Optimus grunted, "Take Red Alert, go check it out." There was a pitch through the cab, "I'm only reading one signal. It's not Ultra Magnus." His voice was sure, "Then get back on the road as quickly as possible, understood?"

"_Got it. Hound out."_

A the jeep veered quite suddenly off the road and onto an exit. Liz found herself grateful that she'd not been riding with the southern-sounding autobot. His driving skills terrified her!

"You're some leader, Optimus." Liz commented, "If you do come out, people will look to you as the 'head Autobot'."

Optimus didn't reply. Maybe he was uncomfortable with the thought. Or maybe it had sent him into a new thought train. But either was, Liz neither urged him on the subject, nor started a new one.

Some things were better left unsaid.

* * *

_**It's been four months since I last updated. I'd like to say I have a great excuse. Id' like to say that I've come bearing bunches of chocolate covered chapters for epic read-y goodness.**_

_**Hell, I'd like to say I've wont the lottery and am now sitting in my new office in a beautiful sunny tropical island, and will now be living the rest of my life as—**_

_**Yeah. That's all bullshit.**_

_**The truth of it is that I'm a mom. I'm a (not as busy as most) busy mom with a 14 month old daughter who needs lot of love, attention and diaper changes. And a wife, too, which means cleaning house and making meals and all that stuff that moms and wives do.**_

_**I haven't abandoned Iron and Grace. God no. I love this story. Right now, it's one of my (many) literature babies. So I'm going to try going back to once a week updates. Try being the biggest word here.**_

_**Please, if I haven't lost all my readers already- enjoy the latest chapter. Next chapter (half-written already!) is due to post next Sunday!**_

'_**Till later!**_


	45. Decepticons!

A fan swung lazily over the head of a man in a starched, pressed military uniform. He glanced down at the information on his computer and nodded, "So. The General was right. Lennox decided to come." He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping on the solid desk in front of him.

"Orders, sir?"

Lt. Colonel Warren Rhude smirked, "Well, let's roll out the carpet, shall we?" he muttered, and waved a hand absently to a small figure in the corner, "Soundwave, is it?" He didn't bother waiting for a reply, "You and your… companion alert the others that there will be more or your kind… keep an eye out for them."

Soundwave narrowed his glinting red eyes. The sound of metal brushing against metal was quiet, but enough to tell the man behind the desk that he had skittered off, with a soft whistle that was probably meant as an obscenity.

_I'm not their Matrix-Forsaken messenger,_ He thought, slipping down the halls of the building without bothering to hide himself from the other military personnel.

One woman, who stared just a little too long, got what Frenzy often called 'The Bird'.

Slipping into a passage and then deeper into the base, Soundwave groused something to himself in cybertronian about stupid flesh-creatures. Below the base, things became more or less all-metal. The corridors became narrower. Down here, only one or two full grown men could walk these halls. Wires, panels and gears all connected down here in a permanent buzz of artificial life.

"_I'll be all too glad when we don't have to deal with these creatures any longer."_ He complained, entering an enormous bay. There were three larger Decepticons working on electronic panels.

Starscream turned to glance down a moment at the tiny creature, _"I don't think any of us here disagree with you."_

"_We should be grateful that they kept the portion of Lord Megatron that mattered."_ Scrapper was grinning, or at least, it appeared to be a grin on his metal face, as he worked, _"Otherwise, Matrix only knows what'd be going on here!" _ It was clear from the tone in his voice that he was quite proud of the master design of Metroplex.

"_Yes, yes. Your design of genius, Scrapper! Genius, Genius, Genius! What a beautiful body for Lord Megatron to call 'home' again!"_

Soundwave tapped metal fingers together, as though applauding, _"The annoying human in the office said that the Autobots may be approaching, or already here."_ He 'blinked', causing a muffled sound of metal against metal. Despite the fact that he was organic metal, the expression on his face was clear: He was irritated. Very irritated, _"Do you think they've already found out our plans?"_

Bonecrusher grunted something that nobody could quite hear, but Starscream understood the frustration of the sound, _"I'll put Barricade and Frenzy on Alert. Hook and Scavenger are working on the north end, If any of the Autobots come strolling in, they'll know."_

"_Even if they already know, it's too late. We only need the last of the programming that Scrapper is putting together, and then the transfer of Megatrons' Spark into-"_

"When you all speak in that language of yours, it makes me wonder what kind of things you're plotting." An attractive woman, probably in her late twenties or so, came into the bay. She was pulling a rather large cart filled with the raw materials that she often brought down when she came to see how progress was coming.

Soundwave made a face, looking up at the blonde women with glinting eyes, "You've brought us more of your… fuel source." He peered at the metal containers, each one marked with the bright

"Ethanol." The woman said, releasing her grip on the handle of the trolley, "How's the work coming?" Stepping up onto a ladder, Second Lieutenant Kit Pederson took a look at the incredibly detailed work that was laid out before her, "Cripes. Ya'll are geniuses."

Despite his pride, Scrapper kept his mouth in check, "Compared to your own species, many of our simpler processes probably seem like that."

Starscream glowered. He didn't like humans. And he certainly didn't like _this_ one. She was irritating.

But she often went out of her way to make certain that they had something to make Energon with. So maybe while most humans were irritating and less than the effort to scrape from his heel, some of them were worthy of being at least servants.

This one anyway. She wasn't pushy, loud or particularly rude. On the contrary, Kit treated the Decepticons with the same measure of respect that she treated any of her human counterparts.

It was laughable, considering that Starscream had decided to let the Constructicons keep her as a pet. She'd be able to bring them energon when they needed to replenish themselves. He might find one, himself, to serve him. If they served him well, he'd let them eat too. Hell, why not?

But she was still irritating. She came down every day, two or three times a day, sleeves rolled up and ready to work if Scrapper was willing to allow her. Or else she'd irritate him into giving her some menial task.

But it was Kit's constant nagging about their use of Cybertronian amongst themselves that drove Starscream mad. Still, he didn't bother with her. When she worked, she was quiet, often with some tool in her mouth to keep her from talking.

_Like a gag._ He thought, _And thank the Matrix- otherwise I imagine she'd never shut up._

She was talking to Scrapper about the layout of the circuitry. She wanted to know what the layout of the new panel was, and how many homes that would affect. She wanted to know if the fuel source for Metroplex would the be same as what they used.

Soundwave uttered something in cybertronian about female irritations, and then excused himself to work on other prospects. Right now, despite what the 'human in charge' was interested in him doing, his primary function was to retrieve Megatrons' spark.

* * *

_**Holy-freakin-crap! I managed to make an entire part up of Decepticons!! I almost don't know what to do with myself…I know everyone's excited to see what's going on with the Autobots, but let's just say for now that they're getting ready. Besides, I really felt like the Decepticons really deserved a chapter all to themselves. **_

_**New chapter? Next Sunday, I think, but I'm already working on it. It might be sooner, it might now, just depends. My hubby has a four day weekend, and I'm taking full advantage to work on **_**Iron and Grace**_** as well as some of my other poor unattended/unloved projects…**_

_**So! 'Till later!**_


	46. Filler

Grace stretched carefully, as the convoy of mis-matched vehicles parked in a campground just on the other side of the city limits. The exoskeletal form of the autobot, Ironhide, was sitting not far from her, accompanied by Bumblebee and Ultramagnus, who was a veritable giant compared to the rest of the autobots in the group.

"I… have a question." Grace mustered after long moments of listening to them speak to one another, "If this is a giant autobot… Then what's stopping it from just jumping up and running off?"

Sam Witwicky smiled at the young woman. _Smart kid, noticing that._

He already knew the answer, but he let Flareup reply. "Without a spark from the cube, even with a body, Metroplex isn't alive." Her feminine figure was a stiff contrast to the others in the group, "It would be like… a human with a body but no soul."

"A zombie?" _Zombie robots? Is that even __**possible**__?_

"Well, yes, and no." Sam laughed at Grace obvious look, "It'd be like a giant machine, able to be moved, but not really alive."

"A zombie." Grace groaned mentally, "Y'know.. this past year has been weird, weirder, and 'God this is straight out of a science fiction movie'… Right now, I feel like the last." She leaned against a tree as her father passed a blueprint back to Sam.

Mikaela tended to Nick, who was cranky from the long drive, but there was little to be done to soothe his frustrations. "We should have left him with his Grandparents." She spoke to Sarah with the same feeling of awkwardness that seemed to permeate the group.

There was no time to rest. If the Decepticons were at work…

"I thought Optimus was the only one who had a piece of the cube." Grace spoke up, breaking the awkward silence, "If those other guys can't bring this thing to life without it… then why are we here?"

Ironhide felt a sudden irritation at the question. "If the Decepticons are involved, it's always bound to be bad."

Ultra Magnus agreed, "They don't need to be able to bring Metroplex to life to cause trouble with it." He explained, "Even if they were only able to control such a thing remotely, the damage could be insurmountable."

Grace felt like an idiot. She looked embarrassed at asking such a stupid question, and busied herself with Nick, who had gotten it into his head that Mothers cuddling wasn't entertaining enough.

From nearby, there was a silver metal wire, nearly embedded into the tree. Without even knowing it, the entire group was being monitored and recorded.

It recorded everything in Blairmore. Well, everything within the city limits, and everything two kilometers outside the city limit signs. It extended so much farther than anyone really could have guessed, as far as surveillance went.

Of course, everything that had been built on its body was monitored. All the buildings and homes were all secured in the same manner. Whether or not the occupants knew this or not was a good question.

Its information lists stated that approximately 41 of these humans living in abodes that it monitored knew about it. The other 59 were ignorant of it's' existence.

But know, or not, they went about their daily lives without regarding it in the least. There were children screaming in yards that had been grown over its 'skin'. They were chasing one another, and riding bikes.

There were old women playing cards in the park. Old men were talking about the coolness of the fall the weather. There were parents watching children on the swings.

It swept its monitoring systems across the city, taking in every detail of the inhabitants.

Everyone, from the woman who was taking her afternoon lover upstairs while her husband was away, to the teenaged boy who was sneaking a rose into the mailbox of a would be girlfriend. The baby who was getting her diaper changed and then the older sister who was offering to help put the talcum powder. It saw everything.

It knew that its name was Metroplex. As such, it could call itself 'Metroplex'. That could connote a feeling of existence, even though, really, it had no conscious. No more than the programming that both the humans and the Decepticons had given it.

The humans had decided that it would be both weapon and informant. The weapons had never been brought online, however, though Metroplex was aware of the careful tinkering from the Decepticons who were working on an intricate series of networks in its core.

'Aware' might not have been the right word. Metroplex wasn't alive, after all. It was a compter. The biggest one known to man, no doubt, but a computer none-the-less. A computer without personal thought or feeling, Merely a vessel of information, for information, gathering information…

And as that vessel, one of its primary functions was to report any unusual or suspicious activity.

The human programming said to report directly to the desk of the Lt. Colonel.

The Decepticon programming over-rode that.

_Human-Extra Terrestrial activity…_

It listed the co-ordinates, and Starscream smirked, _"They've set up a camp outside the city."_

"_So? Not far enough that we can't see them, and not close enough it matters."_ Scrapper glanced over at his comrade, _"Once Soundwave retrieves the spark, we'll insert it and get Lord Megatron back on his feet. They won't stand a chance."_

"_What about the spark needed from the cube?"_

The only creature in the room that had any doubts had only spoken twice or three times in the past week. It was unusual, given his need to crush things into dust, and the usual attitude that he gave while doing said need.

Bonecrusher didn't look at either Starscream, or Scrapper as he asked the question.

"_Don't be an idiot. Megatron's spark is still intact."_ Starscream snapped, _"That should be all it needs."_

"_And if not?"_

"_Then we use the body to crush the Autobots and __**take**__ it from them!" _Starscream snapped irritably.

Bonecrusher said nothing. It wasn't that be believed Starscream, or even that he _didn't_ believe him. He just didn't like him.

"_I'm going above. Crush them now-"_ He said with a metal sneer, _"Crush them and beat them.. until they aren't any taller than dust."_

Meanwhile, in a storage facility underground, Soundwave typed in a clearance code he'd found in the database. Humans could be so ignorant sometimes. All he'd had to do was say that he was inserting all the information into Metroplex.

Psht. Idiot fleshlings.

He entered the black room, and the door shut behind him, leaving him alone in the room, with only the companionship of a gunmetal-coloured cavity. It was shut now, but he knew that within, there was a spark, glittering blue energy that they all shared. A single light from the ceiling shone down on both Soundwave and the metal object. Green-ish metal glittered as longer fingers reached out, removing the object from where it sat.

Soundwave left the room, leaving only darkness behind him.

"_Long live Megatron!"_ he snickered as he passed through the tunnels and quiet passages of Metroplex.

_**Time for another announcement from the author!**_

_**Done, done and done again: Contest time! Here's the deal. I'm feeling generous. Why? Well, my anniversary is this week. (Sunday, actually) 5 years of not-quite-paradise-but-still-so-amazing marriage with my sweet husband! (No post Sunday, ya'll!)**_

_**And because I'm generous, I'm going to be taking three people (reviewers) for the battle scene between the Autobots and Decepticons (which is soon, guys!) So! What am I looking for? I'm looking for the three best wisecracks for each of the following:**_

_**1.) Person in the bathroom when wall is torn off.**_

_**2.) Person in grocery store when an Auotbot is thrown into it.**_

_**3.) Person (Any age) coming out of the school, who sees the battle.**_

_**You can enter a wisecrack for any of the three in your review. Winners will be announced in chapter 48!**_

_**In the meantime, I'll be trying to get out one more chapter for this week, since I wont be posting Sunday- but in the meantime, please enjoy the one I've posted!**_

'_**Till later!! **_


	47. On the Move

Soundwave slipped into a chamber, where he was met by the all-to-eager Kit Pedersen. She looked unhappy, arms crossed over her chest. "Just what are _**you**_ up to?" Her brown eyes were narrowed at the little creature.

He made a movement to shoot at the female, but she was a step ahead. Between his beady red eyes was the barrel of a weapon that he already knew was rounded with what the humans called "_Sabel_" rounds.

"_Matrix Forbid this be easy."_ He groused angrily.

"English or I melt your head." Kit demanded calmly, "See, I'm not nearly as patient, or as _nice_ as you might think." She drove her point home by nudging his face with the barrel, "Now. Speak up. What are you Decepticons actually planning on doing with Metroplex. I know it's not because you think we're going to help you. You're big enough, bad enough, and strong enough to wipe us right the fuck out." The nudged his face again, much to Soundwaves' irritation, "So start talking."

He narrowed the beady eyes and tittered something in his own language, but this didn't seem to impress, or frighten the female human.

"The others will crush you. The plan will go on anyway." Soundwave said smugly.

"I don't care if it goes on or not." Kit said in her own smug voice, "I just want to know what's going on, so I can be a part of it."

* * *

Ironhide returned to the form of the black truck. Will climbed in, commanding his wife and daughter to stay out of the city for their own safety. This elicited a swear from the younger of the two females, to her mothers dismay.

"Dad! No!" Grace grabbed onto the door-handle, "I'm not coming all the way out here to fucking _**Canada**_ just for you to leave me here and tell me to stay out of trouble!"

"I brought you and your mother out here because I knew that if I left you behind that there would be worse trouble!" William snapped at his daughter, "Let go of the door, Gracie, and stay here with your _mother_!"

Sarah didn't look so impressed either. Even though William had given her the weapons that had been given by the Autobots to arm both herself, and Grace, she was completely uncomfortable with the entire situation. "Will…"

"It'll be fine, Sarah." He promised.

Grace didn't let go of the handle, "_**No!**_" she barked, "I'm not doing this! _Let me help!_"

Ironhide suddenly felt something ache inside. He knew that this was going to be horrible violent. If Grace was thrown into the battlefield, she'd die. He was certain of it. The female human was still young enough, tender enough, that she'd never had to see or experience battle.

"Listen to your father, Grace." He commanded, his hologram appearing for only a moment, "It'll all be alright."

"Listen, Grace Lennox," Skids was gentle sounding, "I understand that you want to help your father, But battle is not something that you should ever have to experience." It was hard to miss the disdain in his voice, speaking of battle, "Please, leave this to us. Avoid it for as long as you can."

Ironhide seemed surprised by the sudden speak-up from his companion, but he knew Skids disapproved of this war, anyway. As a scientist, he found nothing but ill-will in regards to the fighting that was a constant on cybertron. He much preferred the quiet life of earth. Still, he was a loyal Autobot soldier, and a good warrior.

"Skids is right," Ultra Mangnus spoke up calmly, even as he began to transform into his own alternate form, "Please, remain here."

"Like hell." Mikaela groused, "I was there the first time and I was-"

"You were an amazing fighter," Bumblebee said gently, "But Nick needs you now, Sam and I can handle this."

Mikaela growled something unintelligible under her voice- but Sam didn't need to know what she said- the tone was more than enough connotation. He kissed his wife on the lips quickly, before climbing into the already transformed yellow car.

It was Flareup who spoke up next in her all-to-enthusiastic tone, "Let's go kick those Decepticons back to Cybertron!" her engine roared suddenly, and Ultra Mangus called back;

"Autobots! Roll-out!"

The convoy rumbled off, leaving nothing but the women and one sobbing little boy behind.

"I'm not staying behind." Grace retorted under her breath, as her mother returned to assist Mikaela with her son. She stomped away from the campground angrily; an attempt to blow off steam.

Sarah and Mikaela barely noticed with the screaming of the youngest in the group.

* * *

Soundwave watched Kit as she pulled the barrel from his face. She had looked so serious, and now she looked as though she were going to laugh. "You're serious?" She held up her hands, "You're going to put the... 'soul' of that monster into Metroplex and let him run rampant?" She snorted, "And let me guess, wipe out all life on this planet, right?"

Soundwave glowered at the female, not speaking up. But he couldn't say he wasn't surprised when she laughed suddenly.

"Be my guest!" she stepped aside, "Please do!"

Soundwave had seen several cartoons and animations from the internet, and forced himself not to do what they often called a 'double-take'. He didn't even ask what it was that was making this human function so… oddly. But he obliged anyway, and quickly inserted the metal and spark into a chamber that was already connected to the rest of the body.

Nothing happened.

Kit arched a fine brow at the little metal creature, "We should go back to your buddies and find out what the hitch is. It's not working."

Soundwave continued his beady glower, trying to piece together this human female. But nothing in his systems could explain why she was so… _fucking weird._ However, he obliged her, leading the way back to the large hanger-type bay.

* * *

_**Here we are, standing at the peak of the story, and there are so many things going on at once that this author might just have to get a new brain installed just to finish!**_

_**Grace doesn't like being left behind, Kit seems to be insane, we still don't know who the new autobot is, And the forces of both Good and Evil (How epic sounding! LOL!) are on the move! **_

_**But don't worry, there's more coming!**_

_**But! Tthat's that for this week! I'm looking through all the awesome submissions for the contest going on, and I have to admit, some of these are pretty damned priceless! Remember, winners will be announced in the next chapter, so if you're sitting on gold, don't forget to let me know!!**_

_**See you next week! 'Till then!**_


	48. Calm and The Sudden Storm

I don't own Transformers. Blah, blah, blah.

_**Honest to God, Ya'll, this time I have no excuse. We moved, the baby is a toddler now (and getting into EVERYTHING), I have a new (supposed-to-be-part-time-but-isn't-really) job and we're fixing to have a friend of ours move in with us. As much as I'd like to say those are all my excuses for not having written in an age and a half… I can't. All I can do is apologize, and hope ya'll don't mind this short, but… er… active chapter! **__****_

* * *

The minutes before the second convoy rolled into town were tense. There was a sense of total unease among both human and cybertronian alike. Decepticons were waiting with coiled anticipation, and Autobots were ready for an instant- imminent- attack.

Sam felt his skin prickle. The electric feeling of dread was working it's way down his body. From within Ironhide, Will was feeling the same thing. Despite the chill of autumn air, they were both sweating, already overheated from worry.

From somewhere nearby, Kup could sense his companions coming back into the city from where ever it was they'd been.

His sensors were on full alert. He thought, for a moment, that he spotted something unusual in the grocery store parking-lot, but it had merely turned out to be human law enforcement.

A child with pigtails was running from her mother towards the automatic doors of the market. "Look, mommy!" she shouted, as she jumped on the pad, "I'm magic!" Her mother agreed with her, and took her hand, leading her inside.

Nothing unusual. Nothing yet. Or was that unusual in itself? Kup felt a heavy ache from deep inside. The same ache he'd felt before, seeing sparklings tossed into the midst of battle… He worried that if they fought here, in this human settlement, if there would be many casualties. He wondered how they would reassure the humans that they weren't here to harm, but to help.

Kup wondered how many more times he'd have to think these things.

Ironhide rumbled up beside him.

"_Nothing unusual."_ Kup reported, _"An' I can't help but think that __**that's**__ a bit strange."_

Ironhide was silent for a moment. He knew that Bumblebee and Flareup were already taking positions to patrol, in case the attack occurred elsewhere. Better to be in pairs, than to be alone, after all. _"Do you see Skids and UltaMagnus anywhere?"_ he replied after a long moment.

Kup was silent as well. _"I have a reading on them about a kilometer from here."_ He hesitated to continue. Trepidation filled the quiet frequency between them. _"I only have William Lennox and Samu-"_

"_We left Grace, Mikaela and Sarah back at camp with Nick."_

"_Alone?"_

"_They will be safe there. They're armed."_

Kup said nothing. Somehow, he didn't believe the statement was true. If the humans were anywhere nearby when the battle broke out, they weren't safe. But at the moment, arguing Ironhide seemed like a bad idea. In the short time that he'd been around to see Ironhide around Grace, he'd become aware of the attachment. Even if Ironhide wasn't _**quite**_ as aware of it as he was.

_If I tell 'im that Grace is still in danger, he'll become distracted—I'm giving him too little credit. But I can't take that chance._

* * *

Liz was unsettled. She didn't fidget, like she might have when she was younger, but she had a hard time keeping the cigarettes out from between her fingers. Rolling the white tube between her thumb and middle finger, the woman fought the urge to light up.

"_Optimus,"_ It was Ratchet. Liz wondered where Ella was, for a moment. _"I'm picking up readings on the others."_

"I've picked those up, too. Any signs of the decepticons?"

"_I've got nothing."_

"I'm sure that wont last long." Optimus replied. His hologram flickered as they reached the city limits. "Liz," He warned calmly, "Be prepared."

"I know where my shotgun is. And the package." She assured him gently, putting the white stick in her mouth. She reached for her lighter.

"You seem calm. Unafraid."

"Oh, I'm scared," Liz smirked at the hologram, and patted the seat, "But I'll tell you something, hon. I've got nothing to lose." She smiled genuinely, "If something happens to me, my boys are waiting."

Optimus was silent. He wondered for a moment at the remark. Her calmness and steady hand as she lit her habit up… Did she really believe that her children were waiting for her after death? What waited for him, if he were to die? The Matrix? Would he see his predecessors? His companions and friends? Every battle was horrifying to him, and he went in with fear. Calm, unadulterated fear. The kind that comes from being a soldier too long, and a child not long enough. He had a healthy fear of death.

Liz seemed prepared to embrace it.

"Liz," He started, as they slowed to the 30km/h speed limit, "You've fought before."

"No, Optimus, honey," She corrected him, "I'm the _**mother**_ and _**wife**_ of soldiers, Every battle they went into was a battle that I had to bear as well."

He didn't understand. But he didn't have time to contemplate as the first shot rang. It was a strange pitch to Liz, who had only ever heard shots on the firing range. She found herself jostled out of the vehicle as she grabbed the shotgun and package from under the seat she'd been sitting in.

Ratchet was already transformed. From somewhere nearby, they could hear the sudden boom of a jet.

"_**Starscream!**_" shouted Sunstreaker, "Motherfucker he's-…" Another shot came through, clearly as he and his brother dodged. Both were already transformed. Liz felt the pavement below her thunder as something transformed to her left. A huge creature, unlike the others… The device on his shoulder told her that he might have been construction equipment at some point.

Optimus stood in front of her, without looking back. "Liz." He urged, "Run."

He didn't have to repeat himself. Old as she might have been, the woman was still quick on her feet. She ignored her aching limbs, and ran for cover.

It was Ironhide that shielded her from a sudden blast. Something she hadn't seen coming. He flipped a car into the way, but the blast still sent the older woman flying. _I wasn't made for this shit!_ She found herself thinking, as she landed on a sidewalk.

* * *

Scrapper cursed the machine he was working with. "_The spark isn't going to be enough! _I need the Cube!" He smacked the panel below him in irritation.

Kit was silent, "Okay. So where's this cube?"

A pitch came from the speaker nearby, _"Prime is here! He's got the fragment!"_

Scrapper looked down at Kit, who watched him intently for a moment, "I don't understand that shit, and you know it." She snapped, "What's going on?"

"Prime." He replied in English, "Hook and Scavenger are both attacking now, I'm sure." He groused something in his Native, "Come with me, Kit Pederson. We've got work to do."

Kit grinned, "Rock on."

* * *

Sam suddenly felt weightless, as he hit the ground. Where had all these decepticons come from? He took aim with the weapon Bumblebee had provided him. The new decepticon lost a finger. He'd been aiming for the damned things chest-plate.

"Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit!"

He heard the crashing of metal to metal as Bumblebee came crashing into the creature. "Give up, Hook," he barked.

"Give up? The only person giving up here should be you." He flung the yellow autobot easily. "Imperfect.. piece of…"

Sam fired again, this time hitting the red, glowing optical unit. "Score!" he hissed.

Until he found himself being swatted at with an SUV. Suddenly he wasn't _**quite **_so jubilant…

* * *

Grace climbed out of the van filled with campers as they came to a screeching halt in the middle of the street. She caught sight of Flareup being thrown across and into several parked vehicles.

"Flareup!"

"What the _**hell**_?!" shouted the driver. The 30-something black man groaned, "Jesus Christ!"

Grace was out of the van before he could even throw it into reverse. _Mom's gonna kill me._ She thought. "Thanks mister!"

"Hey wait!" the man protested, "Didn't you just see-..!?" Grace disappeared behind a flung sign. "…_**Fuck**_.." He threw the red van into reverse and raced back towards the campsite. He knew there was a reason he didn't want to live in the city anymore.

Racing across rubble, Grace stumbled up to Flareup, who was starting to get up. "Flareup!"

Blue optics blinked, "Oh, _**Matrix**_. Ironhide's gonna…" She didn't get a chance to finish her thought as she grabbed Grace and bolted from her place. A cannon went off just after, and slabs of asphalt and concrete went up into the air.

Grace thought for a moment she was dead. Opening her eyes, she looked up. She could see Flareup standing, the bright red paint of her form scratched badly. There was a thick wire hanging from where her arm should have been.

Grace felt ill suddenly. _**Why**_ had it seemed like a good idea to hitch a ride back to town with that guy? Right. She wanted to help. So much help she'd been so _**far.**_

Flareup ignored her lacking limb, and took aim with her other. A cannon went off at the huge menace over her. It didn't do much good, but she was buying time. "Get out of here, Grace!" she commanded, as she dodged and took aim a second time.

Obeying without thinking, Grace scrambled to her feet and raced towards the grocery store. Coming out of the store was the mother and her pig-tailed daughter. The little girl was swinging a bag around.

"Don't break th—the…" She stared at the fight going on in the street. Ratchet was thrown violently into the store, crashing into the building at top speed. "Eggs.."_** (Thank you, KoolKame)**_ Snatching up her daughter, the woman ran for cover. She didn't care where, just somewhere other than here.

Meanwhile, across the street a teenaged boy, staring in stupefied shock, pointed at the school behind him, "Hey! Over here! If you're taking out the SaveOn, you gotta take out this building too!" Staring in shock at the glittering red eyes that met his for a moment, he promptly ran off, "Nevermind! Jesus! Nevermind!" he ran for cover. As he ran, Barricade was thrown into the school. "Hahah! _No school tomorrow!_" he couldn't help himself. _**(Thank you, Silveriss)**_

Skids threw his weight into the car that was thrown at him by Mixmaster. "Hahaha!" he had a maniacal laugh, "Think fast, Autobot!" the transformed creature grabbed at Skids, throwing him into an apartment building.

From nearby, the Autobot could hear Scavenger making a snide remark before getting his head blown off. One down, Matrix only knew how many to go. As He moved to stand, his hand came down into the bathroom partition of two apartments at once.

From inside, a woman in her tub stared in shock.

"Do not be alarmed human, Everything is under control." He managed before moving to get back up. _**(Thank you, BenRG)**_

"You…y.. You could have _**knocked**_!" The nude woman managed, before throwing a sponge at the confused, and already distracted Autobot._** (Also, additional thanks to Speakfire)**_

* * *

Liz dodged the fire from a smaller decepticon. If she knew it was Frenzy, she showed no signs of it. She merely dodged, and ran, clutching the package in her pocket, and her shotgun in her other hand.

She's the first human to spot Grace. "Grace?!" she stared in shock for a mere second. One second too long. Hearing Optimus call out behind her for her to run, she turned, but there was nowhere left _**to**_ run.

Grace turned just as the side of the building came crashing down on the white haired woman. And all she could think was; _It was me. If she hadn't seen me… she would have kept moving…_

* * *

_**WINNARRRRSSSSSSS: **_

_**I just want to thank everyone for their AWESOME lines. My husband and I went over them SEVERAL times trying to determine winners… So it was hard. BUT! As you can see, we finally picked people! So!!**_

_**Thank you to KoolKame for our Supermarket lady, Silveriss for the schoolboy with NO common sense, whatsoever, and the combined awesomeness of BenRG (Because "Do not be alarmed, human" was just TOO good to pass up) and Speakfire, who thinks Skids could've knocked. **_

_**Thanks!**_

_**Kat**_


	49. Awakening

_Blah, blah, blah, I don't own Transformers…_

* * *

Heedless of the dangers involved, humans are the first creatures to turn to their wounded. While most animals recognize the law "Survival of the fittest", humans have no trouble, no qualms (as a rule) about hurrying back for their injured or wounded.

Grace was a prime example of this, as she raced back to where the wall had fallen. "Liz! _**Liz**_!" She grappled with rubble, pushing it aside, despite the dangerous creature that loomed over her back. She coughed heavily, gasping for air as she jerked on a refrigerator door, making the metal and plastic fall down the remains of the wall.

"Jesus _**fucking**_ Christ…" came a tired voice from below.

Tugging on some timber, Grace caught sight of Liz, shielded by the same slab of concrete that had her pinned down by the knees, stomach down. "Liz!"

"I.. am too old for this shit.." Liz coughed. Her eyes focused on the looming, red-eyed creature above Grace. "Grace! _**Down**_!" She commanded, bringing her shotgun up to aim. It wasn't easy, aiming on her belly. _Wait until you see it. That… spark Optimus told you about…_

A throaty chuckle rumbled as a face came in closer to both Grace and Liz, "You don't really think a puny, human weapon could possible hurt me?" the male Decepticon snorted.

Grace could see the individual bulbs of his optics. She could hear the whirring of cogs and gears…

_Or his eyes. Hell, he hasn't got any whites, but this'll work. Cripes, where's a cig when you need one?_

Grace felt her heart stop for a moment.

Then she heard the click of a lighter, and smelled a fresh cigarette. She didn't look back, but from the tone of Liz' voice, it sounded like the old woman was smiling.

"Nope. But I reckon," she fired two shots in a row at the face. Both optics went out. "This here ain't no human weapon." The creature roared, rearing back and swinging at the rubble- or where he thought the rubble had been. Grace ducked, trying to shield both herself and Liz from the flying rubble as Kup calmly ripped off the head of the blinded Decepticon.

He stooped to check on the females, "You two alright?" he demanded quickly.

Liz coughed, and laughed, "Ha. Optimus was right."

Grace opened her eyes, looking down at Liz, "What?"

"They were too stupid to figure out that he let Ratchet work on it." Liz laughed again, before grinding her teeth in pain. "_**Jesus**_," She moaned, "I'm not going anywhere." Looking at the fighting that continued behind them, she reached into her pocket, checking for the package.

Handing it to Grace, Liz smirked, "I can't get anywhere to make sure that those guys can't get it. So I guess I get to pass the torch to you."

Grace took the fabric-wrapped package and looked at Liz quizzically, "What's..?"

"The fragment..." Kup breathed, "Grace, get moving. I'll cover you!"

"Where?!" Grace demanded, frantic suddenly. She remembered what Sam had told her about running for his life from Megatron. He'd been afraid for his life. And now she was fearing for her own.

"Somewhere out of range." Kup said impatiently, "Let's _**go**_."

"But Liz!"

"Grace Lennox, now isn't the time!" Kup protested.

"I'm fine, Grace, honey." Liz assured her, "Just get going!"

"What?! You're trapped under a _**wall**_- and it's not like…" Graces voice was drowned out by the crashing of another autobot and decepticon, raging against one another. Kup looked at Liz, who smiled weakly, cigarette drooping from the corner of her mouth.

"Take her."

Kup grabbed Grace, none-so-gently, and began to run. Grace shouted in protest, staring at Liz, who disappeared from her sight a moment later.

Ironhide, blocking a blow from Blitzwing, was surprised to hear Grace's name in the middle of battle. And he'd heard it clearly, just as Sideswipe disabled the stubborn opponent. _Grace?!_ He thought. His spark instantly pulsed, _No!_

Turning to glance, for only a second, Ironhide could see Kup, running, dodging, clutching something- _**someone**_- in his hand. That someone was clutching his large fingers with brightly painted fingernails.

"_**Matrix forbid**_." Ironhide managed, just as he caught sight of a transforming Decepticon. A Cybertronian Jet, landing, transforming, aiming, threatening. Threatening Kup. Threatening _**Grace**_. Without thinking, Ironhide took aim, and fired. He knew it was Dirge by the sudden jolt in his systems. The fear that was starting to consume him, even from his distance.

Damn the fear, though. He had to protect Kup and Grace. He had to protect Grace.

He'd promised William and Sarah he would. If something ever happened.

But the fear that raced through his body… It was petrifying!

He heard Grace screaming at the top of her lungs. She was begging for Kup to get a hold of himself. She didn't understand what was going on. There was no way she could. The pitch that Dirge was so apt at emitting only effected the Autobot nervous system. Ironhide gripped his fist, transforming his cannon again. When had he let it fall back? What was he thinking?

He fired another shot. Even though it was sloppy, it was distracting enough. The pitch stopped. Kup jerked to animation again, and didn't look back over his shoulder. He already knew that Ironhide had fired the shot. Grace was still frantic, uncertain as to what was going on, as Kup began to run again. Ironhide covered for him.

Meanwhile, the fight between Optimus and Starscream raged- Until Starscream heard one of his companions shout, "The girl! The girl has the fragment!" Dirge was already transformed and circling overhead, preparing himself to land and cause more trouble.

"The girl..?" Optimus jerked his head back, spotting Kup as Scorpinok surfaced. Kup stumbled back, landing on his aft as he dropped Grace unceremoniously on the ground. The girl slutched the fabric covered fragment.

"_**Run**_, Grace!" The battle-hardened Autobot shouted, but didn't look back to check if she was alright as he grappled with the insect-like Decepticon.

Grace obeyed. Her body on autopilot, and her mind devoid of anything that didn't involve running, Grace obeyed. Racing through the torn up streets, She staggered as her path was blocked by an unfamiliar Autobot. Nope. Decepticon. The Constructicon reached out, grabbed at her, shouting something in a high-speed voice as she dodged and kept running. She didn't see Ratchet knock it down… Or jam a rather large metal object into its chest.

The Decepticon stopped moving.

Never seeing what was going on, Grace continued to run. She stumbled again, struggling to keep her breath. Never having been the athletic one in the family, she was winded. But still, the girl ran.

Kit smirked, catching sight of Grace as she ran towards the alleys, probably in the hopes of not being followed into tight quarters. She reached out an arm, putting on a panicked face. "Over here! This way!" She urged. If there was one thing she knew, it was that the girls father was military. She would have been taught that the Decepticons were bad… but not the Military.

Grace followed, stumbling, wheezing for breath. She grappled at the brick walls that towered over the two of them, clutching the Fragment to her chest. "T..Thank you.." she gasped.

"No need to thank me." There was a familiar click and snap. The barrel of a handgun was pressed against her abdomen. "Just pass over the precious cargo, and we'll call it even."

Grace stared at the woman. "N-no… what?" She knew what model the weapon was. Her father owned one just like it. A Jericho, right? Some type of 9mm. She didn't care, just knew.

Also knew that one shot to her belly would be the end of her, and the fragment would be in the wrong hands.

"You heard me, kid. The cube, or shard, or fragment, or whatever the hell they're calling it right now. Hand it over." Kit pressed with the weapon, "Don't think I'm bluffing. It wouldn't buy you anytime." She reached for the fabric wrapped package as one of the brick walls came tumbling down.

Scrapper stood, reaching his hand out towards Kit. "Got it?"

"Getting it." The woman said, snatching the parcel from Grace's fingers. She looked up at Scrapper, and smirked, "Got it."

"Good. Let's go." The Decepticon turned to leave.

Kit turned her eyes to Grace, who gulped for breath, petrified. "Sure. Let me just make sure we don't have more trouble."

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice filled the alley as a young man in flip-flops and a pair of hemp pants stepped into view, "Dude. Peace. Love… Y'know. A little bit of empathy 'n all?"

Kit narrowed her eyes, "What? What the hell. Get lost, punk; I'll gut you, too."

Grace took a deep breath. What the hell was she going to do? Try to struggle the weapon from her captor? Not likely- she'd end up with a hole in her middle if she did it. "Don't play hero!" she commanded without looking back, "Just get lost!"

"Nah. I don't believe in turning my back to violence." The guy shrugged, "And… y'know, I don't think my dude does either."

Kit was obviously irritated now. "What? What the- are you stupid kid? Smoke to much pot? Got, just die already." She lifted the gun to fire. A large shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight.

"I hate fighting, dudette.." came a beach-boy drawl, "but if you're gonna be like that… I don't get a choice."

"Scrapper! Autobot!" shouted Kit, who took the gun back down towards Grace. "No more games. You die."

Grace swallowed, grabbing at the gun. This was the dumbest thing she'd ever done in her life- bar none! As the brick walls tumbled around the two of them and the two cybertronion bots began their own fight, she and Kit struggled for the weapon. Grace shut her eyes, putting all her strength into turning the weapon away from herself.

There was a shot. It rang through the town-turned-battlefield clearly amidst the whistling of laser-weapons and firing.

Ironhide threw off the decepticon that had tried to get in his way. "Grace…" He couldn't see her… but he knew. But now was not the time to become hot headed. Now was the time to fight. The Decepticons were after the Fragment. They were headed for the wall, where Grace had been. They were going to get it. He couldn't let that happen.

Grace, trembling, unable to think under the slab of brick wall that was tented over she and Kit Pederson, clutched her stomach. The blood that spread on her shirt was hot. It pulsed.

Kit laughed, smirking. But she said nothing as she slid to the ground and convulsed. The shot had gone through her chest, up into her neck. Grace clutched the gun, still warm from the struggle. She shook so hard that she thought she was going into shock for a moment.

But in this moment of protection, she saw her chance. Dropping the gun, ignoring the painful burn of tears in her eyes, Grace grabbed the fabric that covered the remaining fragment of the Cube… Out tumbled the metal corner. It hit the ground with a metallic 'ping', and laid still.

* * *

"_Man, every time I hit something… a car, a pop machine... hell, I think I hit a lamppost, and the goddamned thing came to life!" Sam laughed over his beer, "I've never run so goddamned hard in my life!"_

* * *

"Everytime?" Grace whispered under her breath. She looked at the fragment. It was warm in her hands. She turned it in her hands, and gulped softly, before hitting it to the ground.

"How 'bout some backup?" she managed, hitting the ground with the fragment. Nothing happened. "Oh for _**Fucksake**_!" She slammed the metal into the ground, "Come on! Some help would be nice!" Rubble fell from overhead, raining down on the girl as she kept hitting the metal against the ground.

The tent of brick wall was suddenly lifted, and Grace stood, ready to bolt.

The familiar face of Hound filled her vision. "Go!" he commanded, "Git! We're coverin' ya!"

Grace did as she was told. Gaining her second wind quickly, she ran. Every few yards, she'd beat the fragment against a building, or a lamp-post.

"Come on… _**Come on**_!" She pleaded, hitting a car, and then a mailbox. Now why she thought a mailbox would come to life… she didn't know. But anything would work. Anything at all. Anything for a distraction.

The thunderous roar of a jet overhead caught her attention. _Not friendly_, she thought, _Not-good-not-good…!_

* * *

The crystal blue of the skies overhead were being dimmed by smoke from nearby buildings. The only thing that William Lennox cared about, though, was getting the next shot into the Decepticon. It wasn't until that very second that he saw his daughter racing through the streets. Both Ironhide and Hound were providing what cover they could against Starscream and another Decepticon that he didn't know.

How the hell many of them were there, anyway?! Were there enough of the Autobots to make sure that this battle landed in the right hands?

It was secondary to seeing Grace dodging the landing of the Jet that transformed in midair. The ground shook like an earthquake had hit.

Grace continued hitting random things as she ran. "Come on. Please!" She pleaded with some unknown force.

Unknown, indeed. Far below the surface, the stirrings of some new consciousness began to form. Information buzzed through circuits... Information and something else. Something new. A spark of something. Electricity maybe? Was this a surge? No. The surge protectors would have prevented it.

Matrix knew, there were plenty of the damned things.

Matrix? What was that?

There were people screaming above, assaulting it's sensors with a cacophony of pain and terror. It didn't think that it liked that. _**It didn't like that.**_

There was a female adolescent running across it's flesh, hitting something electric against it. Something powerful. It was becoming irritating. _Irritating? Can a computer process irritating?_ It wondered.

And then it realized it was wondering.

_**Posted tonight because I'm apologizing for being so damned late posting. And... Because the hubby thinks it's cool. off to bake the sick hubby a cake**_


	50. Consciousness

I don't own them. I'm a bad writer who feels horrible for making her fans wait so damned long.

And I'm sorry that this one is so short. Sorry! sorry! Gives everyone cake

Also! Happy Canada day for all my Canadian friends!

* * *

_**Consciousness:**__ (v.) _

The state of being conscious; Awareness of ones' own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, ect.

A sense of one's personal or collective identity, including the attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities held by or considered characteristic of an individual or group.

Full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life

Awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge

Concern, interest, or acute awareness

The mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes.

The super-computer, mega-sized robot known as Metroplex had begun to realize its existence. It suddenly realized that it was a host for many lesser beings.

Many lesser beings that were currently screaming, crying, swearing and causing all out havoc on its- _**his**_- skin. There was a particular lesser-creature that was running, and heaving exertion from its tiny body. A female. And she kept hitting him with an item of unknown origin. Something that kind of… it kind of _**hurt**_ at first!

But then it was more familiar. Warmer. More like a tingle. It felt…

_**It was nice.**_

But more importantly were the other things that Metroplex was starting to feel. Up until this point, he had been an object; performing its duties as commanded, running streetlights, and water-pumps, and solar-energy cells and city sprinkler systems.

But now he was sentient. And while he had no qualms with running these commands, he was wondering about the back-up commands that had been given to him. The commands lit up every screen on every last computer and television in the entire city. The foreign Cybertronian characters spun madly about, as Metroplex strained to try and understand why he had conflicting orders. After a second, the Decepticon commands, and the human commands began to mix, and meld. Soon, the seamless stream of Cybertronian became a garble of both English and Alien. The letters and characters streamed through every household, supermarket, video store… Everywhere in Blairmore that had a functioning screen.

People who had yet to witness the chaos at the edge of the city, stopped to stare, and wonder at this oddity. The solid black screens were lit up like a dazzling, and strange, array of Christmas lights as they danced and blinked.

But still, Metroplex was unable to decipher his commands. What was his purpose? What was his _**meaning**_? Did he have one? Obviously, he did; these commands and all this information wouldn't be here if he didn't.

As Optimus fell into the Kindergarten center, however, Metroplex didn't question his better judgment. (He _**had**_ better judgment? He would later wonder.) The roof began to cave, but inside, the screaming children and three teachers were all shielded by the sudden appearance of a metal shell. As though the steel beams of the building had melted and become a silver bubble, intent on protecting them.

More intent on the battle that was taking place, Optimus (though curious) had no time to ponder this sudden change in structure. He got back up, continuing the fight with Starscream. Despite being a lesser to the powerful Megatron, the Decepticon was a hard match.

There was no way around it- they were nearly equally matched. And when it appeared as though Starscream had finally lost, one of the Decepticons would jump in for a moment, distracting Optimus Prime. The leader of the Autobots was trying to cover for Grace, but he couldn't do much more than what he was.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, amid sparks and information, Optimus was bleakly unaware of Liz being alive. He could hear her clicking her lighter and speaking –hindered for a moment by her cigarette- to him.

"_Optimus, honey, you're fighting a scary battle. Sometimes it seems like it'll never end. Like an Alaskan night. But then, thirty days later, here comes the sun, and everything's fine again." She removed her hindrance, "That's not to say that it'll be sunny forever either. Eventually, it'll snow, or rain, or the sun'll set again. But you're talking about one of those… y'know. Epic battles. Something that those old poets would have written a mile-long Iliad about. Good versus Evil. Sometimes, Good doesn't win. God knows, I want- __**we**__ want- it to. And..." She took a long drag, "And besides. I've got faith in you, hon."_

The faint sound of Liz tapping her finger against the cigarette was deafened by a blow from Starscream. Optimus rolled to the side, still fighting, even though he could clearly remember that late-spring night. She'd had faith in him. Autobots and Decepticons had little faith in anything or anyone, other than themselves, or their closest comrades. Could he let himself become upset because Liz was dead? Of course not. How many thousands had he seen fall in battle? How many under orders that _**he**_ had given them? There would come time for mourning later. He dodged another blow, aware at the same time of William Lennox screaming for Grace to find cover.

The girl was hitting everything she could reach with the Fragment. Nothing was happening. Or maybe something _**was**_ happening. Maybe that had been why the building…

Something grazed his head. A missile. It hit a car. The resulting explosion was deafening, but the old warrior adjusted quickly.

Ironhide felt something in his spark tick and stop. The Decepticon jet, Dirge, was standing in front of Grace. Barreling at full force, Ironhide charged him. He could hear Sam shouting something to Bumblebee. Somewhere nearby, Will was frozen in terror. The sight of his only child being nearly squashed by a Decepticon had nearly given him a heart attack, as Ironhide and Dirge began to roll. Before Dirge could activate his fear-inducing pitch, the black weapons specialist was on him. His cannon, not near his face, but _**on**_ it.

And then there was no more Dirge. Well, that wasn't quite true. There was still quite a bit of Dirge left. His spark was still vibrant. He just… had no head.

Grace stared up at Ironhide, panting heavily, gasping for breath. She felt as though she hadn't been breathing at all. He looked down at her, and without wasting a beat;

"Get moving! Find cover!"

"_**Where the fuck do you want me to do that?!**_" came the resulting scream. Grace slammed the wall of an office building with the fragment, "There _**is**_ no cover!"

Metroplex, increasingly aware of the distress that his humans were in, was doing everything he could to keep them from being harmed. His body housed them. They were _**his humans**_. It was strange to him, suddenly aware of every distressed cry and heartbeat.

He'd been aware of them before. Watching them quietly from hidden niches. Recording them. Focusing on them. But… Being truly aware, truly conscious…

The dictionary definition of the word passed through his circuitry. He was aware of his own consciousness. He was sensitive, and _**concerned**_about the people that were a part of his city. He was waking up. Concerned. Aware. Interested. _**Living**_.

And that girl was still shouting. Leaning against the wall of a building, Metroplex found it easy to open the metal and let her fall inside the room within. As he shut it, he heard the creature- Ironhide- shout her name. He ignored Ironhide.

Grace landed in a grace_**less**_ heap on the linoleum floor in the building. The walls were stark white, and there was no furniture to be seen. "What the… Ironhide? _**Ironhide!**_" She turned around once, and hit the wall with all her strength, "Ironhide!!" she screamed, panicking.

All over the city, similar things were beginning to occur. People in Blairmore were all being herded into buildings. They panicked when the doors no longer opened, and sometimes became solid walls.

Grace's beating was a futile gesture. But she was frantic. Clutching the shard in one hand- so hard that the edges were cutting her- and beating on the wall with the other, she screamed, repeatedly, calling for her protector to save her.

Metroplex, confused by this reaction, tried to figure out what to do. He needed to protect his humans. Somewhere in the background, he could hear the processing commands from the humans that were military personnel. They were, at best, irritating. But he ignored the commands as he worked.

**Destroy the Decepticons. Fire on Optimus Prime. Capture the Autobots.**

Each command went through his processors, ignored and unclaimed. He didn't care much about what the military humans wanted from him right now. They were protected and safe, and that was all they needed to be right at the moment. But in the meantime, his humans wouldn't be protected until this fighting came to a halt!

But the humans were protesting, unwilling to follow the path that he had laid out for them, shifting his interiors into brightly lit halls.

Searching his database for something reassuring (Why did he want to reassure them?), Metroplex happened across a phrase that seemed to be appropriate.

From within each building that the humans had been herded into, everyone heard a loud, calm voice:

"In order to protect you, I must ask that you follow the hallways into the safe zones. Please, continue in a calm and orderly fashion so that you might not be injured."

Grace blinked, looking up from her screaming and beating. Unaware of what was going on outside, she hit the wall one last time. Cursing and heaving an enormous sigh, she looked around herself one more time. The room led into a hallway. Well-lit, and stark white.

"Hey!" she shouted, looking around herself, "Who are you?!"

If 'the voice' heard Grace, it didn't show any signs of it. She groaned, and stamped her foot irritably. If this were a trap… she had no way out of it. She was completely and totally done for.

Starting down the hallway, slowly and carefully, as though something were going to jump out and hit her, Grace clutched the Fragment close to her chest. She was still breathing quickly, even though she was no longer running for her life. The adrenaline was still coursing her veins. If she had to run again, she would. Just _**where**_ she'd run to, she didn't know- but she would.

* * *

_**More for you. Please Enjoy. **_


	51. Beginning the End

I have no apologies. Just a new chapter and a huge thanks for those who have continued to watch, read, and wait patiently!!

Nothing much to report here. Quit my job to be a full time mother, working every day at home to be a better mum for my beautiful little girl.

Anyone have any ideas for music to inspire the end of Iron and Grace? I'd love some suggestions!

At any rate, let's get on with some fight-time!!

:Kat:

* * *

Ironhide was trying to tear down the wall. It was steeled against his attacks. Something was different about the city. Something was.. alive?

He heard someone shout his name, turned, felt the impact of the Decepticon flying into him before he ever saw who it was. He grunted something in his native, the whistles and clicks of irritation, and an obvious obcenity going nothing to get his attacker off his body.

_I have to get to Grace. If she's safe, should I stop? No! I have to fight!_

No matter how much he loathed the phrase, he had to finally assume that Lennox was right about his daughter. She was capable. She was smart.

She was growing up.

There was nothing unusual about how she was raised, unless you accounted him into the mix. But Lennox had taught her a plethora of methods to defend herself. So long as it was only humans she had to deal with, Grace would be fine.

_But it only takes one decepticon..._

He couldn't think about it now. He had to worry about this decepticon.

* * *

It was only as Starscream was shouting out something about his master that Optimus Prime realized that whatever was going on here wasn't going according to _**their**_ plan. And when things weren't going according to plan for the enemy, well, it was good for him!

To defeat the Decepticons was an odd only marginally possible from his standpoint right now. For some reason, Starscream and the other Decepticons here, thought that Megatron was supposed to be this city. Strange as it sounded, it made sense. After all- hadn't Ironhide said that the layout within the city had been a nervous system?

But if it wasn't Megatron causing the sudden noise and rumbling from below them, _**Who was it**_??

* * *

Withing the pale-lit confines of the hallway, Grace was working her way down. She could hear thumping, and the faint grunts of fighting above her somewhere.

"Hello? Hey! Who-ever you are! Can you hear me!" _I don't have the time to be stuck in here! I want to fight!_

"I can hear you, human female-child."

"_**Child!?**_" Grace gathered enough of her senses to not set off a rocket of swears at the automated voice speaking to her. "Look, hey, You can't keep me in here."

"You cannot leave." The voice was calm, "For your own safety, I ask that you continue to the designated safe-"

"There's no place that's gonna be safe in here if those Decepticons get in here!" Grace stopped, and turned, looking up at the walls. She was looking for the source of the ever present voice.

"Decepticons? The Automated life forms that are destroying my city?"

"_**Your**_ city?"

"I will prevent them from causing further harm, human female-child."

"Grace!" The teen stamped her foot impatiently, "And who the hell are you anyway?" She was ushered down the hallway by a pattern of lights that seemed agitated. Walking again, her eyes searched every inch of the seamless walls around her.

"I have no designated nomenclature, other than my cover."

"Fine. _**What**_ are you, then?"

"Please continue towards the designated safe zone, human female-child Grace."

Grace felt like running her head into one of the walls. "Just Grace. Please. This whole human female thing is getting.. stupid. Where are you taking me, anyway? And what about the others? What about Ironhide and Optimus and Ratchet and Hound and..."

"Are these life forms you speak of also human female-children?"

There was something definitely sick, and funny, about the question, but Grace didn't have it in her to laugh.

"They're my friends! And they aren't human! They're Autobots!" She stopped again and faced the wall behind her that had been slowly closing in on her as she walked down the hall, "Look, let me out, alright? Just let me go help them!"

"There will be no leaving until I have solved the issue of the fighting and destruction in my city."

"Look! You can't just keep me in here! I have to be able to help them! I want to fight!!" Grace hit the wall with her hand, "Let me out! I don't want to go to wherever you're making me go!"

There was no reply, but the walls and lights no longer moved.

"Hey." There was no answer.

"_**Hey!**_"

* * *

The crash of Kup against his companion made the old warrior groan under his breath. He was made to fight. There wasn't a time he could remember when he didn't fight! But some days he just felt like he was too damned old for this!

Ripping the armor from the chest of one of his enemies, he could hear the sudden thunder and pound of jets nearby.

Starscream was getting away.

There were others behind him. They were beating a hasty retreat. Something was strange. Wrong.

He saw Skids cut off an escaping Decepticon, but before the autobot could do anything, something very strange happened.

The road beneath his feet broke open. Pipes shot upwards, a watermain burst as wires, thick bundles of metal and plastic fibers, whipped up, stopping both fighters in their tracks.

Both swore. Both struggled. And then both dissapeared under the earth and metal that contained the city.

From behind him, Kup could hear Ironhide as he fought off the creature that had been on him.

"What's going on!?"

"I don't know, but something tells me that it ain't good."

* * *

"I have captured two of the autonomous lifeforms that were causing destruction above." The voice came from nowhere, making Grace take a few steps back.

"Captured? You're able to capture the Decepticons?"

"Yes. I have seventy-three point nine-two percent control of the buildings, mainlines, and-"

"That's not the point! What are you doing with them?" Grace felt cheered suddenly.

The voice was silent, "Detaining them so that they may not cause any further harm to the humans of my vicinity."

Feeling lifted for the first time since she left home, Grace nearly fell to her knees in joy. "Thank God. How many can you detain?"

"I can detain up to four life-forms of this size at a time." The voice replied, "There are thirty on my surface mass at this moment."

Alright, so things weren't half as good as Grace had hoped. "Thirty!? There are _**thirty**_ Decepticons up there?" Tears began to burn her throat. _What if Ironhide and the others can't handle all of them? What if... what if some of them are dead? I know Flareup's hurt because of me, but... What if they die? What if the Decepticons win?_

Lights came back to life, along the top of the hall walls, "Are all of these life-forms 'Decepticons'? Are they all 'autobots'?"

Surprised by this sudden show of knowledge, Grace stared at the lights, "You know what Autobots are?"

"I have a command in my data-base to attack and destroy these life-forms."

_Oh God. I'm going to be sick._

"But the Autobots are the good-guys!"

"Both Autobots and Decepticons, if they are the same kinds of life-forms, are causing harm to my humans. They must be prevented from causing any more harm."

Grace touched the wall beside her with a weak, trembling grip. "You'll just detain them, right?" she whispered, "Right? If you let the Autobots go, and only capture the Decepticons, there will be no more harm."

"Are they the same life-forms?" The computer repeated.

Grace nodded, "They're all Autonomous, yes."

"Then they must all be prevented from continuing any further harm."

"I know who the Autobots are, though! I could tell you who the bad people are!" Grace shouted, "Just don't hurt them! They're trying to _**protect**_ the humans!"

Silence fell into the hallway once again. Grace could hear the shifting and thundering of fighting above her. She sobbed, sinking against the wall, her forehead pressed to the white paint. "Are you listening to me?" She whispered, "Please, don't hurt them."

The hallway blackened, leaving Grace in the complete dark, alone.

"I asked for help! Not this!" she shouted into the darkness.

A screen came to life under her fingers. The dancing images of two metal giants glinted in the pale green and gold lights of an underground place.

Grace fell back, staring.

The brightly lit red eyes of a decepticon were so big that she could fit her entire hand into the orb on the screen in front of her.

"These are the two that I have detained. Are they enemies?" the voice was still calm.

"I... I don't know." Grace didn't recognize either of the beings on the screen. She tried to think about what could, or could not, define one from the other. They probably both knew English. Probably both knew who she, or her father, or Ironhide were. Or Ironhide- Ironhide would know his fellows.

"I know who _**would**_ know, though."

* * *

Falling under cover of Fire, both Kup and Ironhide saw Bumblebee run past and fire. The entire world was a blur of smoke, screaming and shouting. There were the swears and cybertronian calls from both sides. The escape of Starscream had not gone unnoticed.

But everything was a confusion of fighting. The tangle of limbs, hands and weapons as the Autobots and Decepticons struggled for the upper hand- and the humans, Sam and Will doing everything they could to help.

There was something strange about this fight, however. Decepticons were becoming less- and not just because this one had his spark ripped out by Hound, or because that one had his head blown off by Ironhide.

Some were retreating. Fast.

"'Ironhide, this battle may yet be ours."

Ironhide didn't reply. The ground had already swallowed him up. Before Kup could ask just what the Matrix was happening, he found himself being swallowed as well!

He fired his weapons, but nothing was aimed where it needed to be. He was already being bound with wires and tubes, surprisingly strong for their size.

* * *

Grace stared at the black figure of Ironhide being dragged into the room with the other two giants. His body, so much taller and broader than most of his companions, needed no identification.

"That's Ironhide!" Grace pointed, "The one you just brought in! He's a good guy, the one I told you about!"

"I have reached my current capacity to contain these life-forms." The voice said calmly, "There is still chaos above."

"Ironhide doesn't need to be contained!" Grace argued, "He's not gonna hurt anyone!"

"I have no assurance of that, human Grace." the voice remained calm and monotone, "The other humans who inhabit my city are now in designated safe-zones." it added, "Beginning now, all other life-forms on my surface will be eliminated."

"Eliminated?! I thought you weren't gonna hurt the Autobots!"

"Human Grace, you are no longer continuing to be of any assistance. Your logic is flawed by your emotional state."

"My _**emotional state**_ is only because you're being an.. an... _**idiot**_!" just what good it was to call a city-sized robot an idiot, Grace couldn't say, but she was so frustrated that she no longer cared, either. The metal creatures in the room began to argue with one another.

"I am being logical, Human Grace."

"Look, You've got at least two Autobots in there! If you just let me ask Ironhide-"

Metroplex felt a surge of irritation towards the small human. She was annoying. _**Annoying**_. The sudden emotion felt both liberating and frustrating. To be able to feel _**anything**_ at all was liberating. But needing to deal with such an ignorant little creature was making him... _**Annoyed.**_

Yes. He liked this word.

"You are annoying."

Grace let out a scream that could have made any living person stop in their tracks, "_**God**_! Look, I don't care if you think I'm annoying whatever-the-hell-you-are! I want to help! You said you wanna protect humans, right?"

"Of course."

"Autobots protect humans and Decepticons... Decepticons... they.. they step on us!"

"I have no record of such an event."

_Dear sweet God. There's a war going on up there, and I'm stuck arguing with a computer that has a third grader mentality!!_

Stamping her foot again, Grace glowered up at the ceiling, "You let me talk to Ironhide! And Kup! They're good guys! I promise, they aren't going to hurt me! They'll be able to help you figure out who's good and who's bad!"

Metroplex considered, even if only for a millisecond, cutting off the air supplies to where this human was. She spoke too much, too loudly, and wasn't nearly as informative as she had started out to be.

However, right now his main priority was to stop the fighting. No more destruction meant no more lives endangered. It didn't really matter who, or how, they were stopped, so long as the fighting ceased. To let the annoying female-child help would probably shut her up, and help get rid of the intruders.

Metroplex liked that idea.

"My cover is Metroplex." he said calmly, "And you will help me cease the fighting, human Grace."

The screen disappeared and returned to it's previous state, "Follow this hall to the adjacent chamber where your companions are being held."

For the first time in her entire life, Grace shut her mouth and obeyed without a single comment or snide remark.

* * *

Optimus Prime felt the surge of power beneath his feet as Kup was shoved back above ground. In front of him. He managed to dive _**over**_ his comrade, rather than fall over him, and took another shot at a Decepticon that disappeared just as quickly as Kup had appeared.

"What the Matrix is going on here?"

"You tell me!" Kup demanded in return, "All I know is that the kid's down there with an Autobot that covers the entire city!"

"We already knew that!" Flareup shouted in irritation. She was talking about the city being an Autobot, she didn't know about Grace.

Skids was 'thrown-up' from the depths of the ground. Another Decepticon disappeared. "What's going on with the Decepticons?!"

They were down to one. Every Autobot still standing was surrounding the helicopter-style creature. He transformed before the earth opened to take him down with his companions. Flying straight up, disappearing into the smoke-filled skies, the fight was over just as quickly and suddenly as it began.

There was utter silence for a long moment as Sam and Will both came to a complete stop. They both looked up at the sky, and then at one another. The smell of wood burning, and the sounds of brick crumbling were nearby. A city-come-battlefield, waiting for a medic to heal it's injuries.

Everyone felt uneasy. Extremely uneasy.

From somewhere nearby, the ground coughed up Ironhide. He swore, grunted and rolled onto his feet. The gap in the cement and grass remained open. From within, all the Autobots could see the three Decepticons that had been taken. They were struggling, swearing and screaming revenges.

"I will eliminate these three." A voice came from every electronic device in the city that was still working, "And you will leave my city. I will have no more destruction, or harm, done to my humans."

Optimus Prime stood up straight. He was thinking about Liz. He didn't know where her body was. He wanted... he wanted to mourn her. To mourn such a fragile creature with such a short life...

"We are not here to harm the humans, friend. We are here to protect them." Something inside ached as he said this. Why was he feeling like this? Hadn't he mourned warriors in silence before? Why was this so much harder?

"To protect them?" The voice scoffed, "You caused so much damage and so many injuries with your fighting that you protected none."

"Who are you? What is this?" Flareup was holding her shoulder, looking around the group, trying to figure out what was happening.

"My cover- my name- is Metroplex. You may call me that." Metroplex rumbled a little bit, his city shaking for a moment as he began repairs on what he controlled. There wasn't as much as he had initially assumed. Thinking that it had been nearly seventy-four percent, Metroplex was surprised to find that, with all the damages incurred, that it was closer to sixty. Surprised. Strange, since everything connected to him in some way or another.

The ground closed up on the three Decepticons.

"Where's Grace?" Ironhide demanded, "You promised she'd be fine!"

"I keep my word, Autobot Ironhide." the voice replied, "But it is not safe for her to return to the surface until all threats are eliminated. You and your companions must leave."

Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. Will didn't want to admit his surprise, but he was feeling the same. "She's my daughter! I can't leave until you give her back to me!" he shouted.

"You and your human companion do not need to leave." Metroplex was still just as calm as he had been to start with, "However, your Autobot companions have shown no concern for the human lives within my compounds."

"They were protecting them!" Sam shouted.

"I have recorded several happenings. All of which were injuries that were preventable if the fighting had not occurred."

"People get injured in wars!" Will barked, "But nobody's died!"

"That's untrue." Optimus felt his shoulder sag heavily, "Liz..."

"I have recorded one death." Metroplex was on the ball, "Military personnel Second lieutenant Kitty L. Pederson."

Something in Optimus felt lifted... hopeful. But he saw the wall come down on Liz.

"This death was caused by another human, however, in the struggle to obtain the item which caused my sentience." The speaking went on.

"Grace." Will stared up at the other Autobots. Ironhide looked at the ground.

"She did it from defense." The black-painted Autobot looked down at Will Lennox, "The other female was going to harm her, first."

"And.. Liz?" Optimus heard the words escape his processors before he knew it was even a thought in his head.

"I do not have records on file for a human named Liz. There are several Elizabeth's, Eliza's and one Belize, if these are the humans of which you refer."

"The old lady?" Kup felt a sudden smile as he looked around. Flareup followed him as he returned to the fallen wall. Optimus followed.

"There are signs from under the wall," Ratchet spoke up at last, "It could be Liz."

Both Optimus and Hound began to remove the rubble carefully. Metroplex remained silent as they uncovered the still form of an old woman. She was alive. Not awake, admittedly, but alive. She'd lost a lot of blood from a wound in her leg, and had broken bones, but she was alive.

Something inside the Warrior Leader of the Autobots lit up. It jumped for joy. He held her carefully in his hand. The body of this woman was old. It was broken. And alive!

"Metroplex, these humans are our friends." The sound of a hippie voice and the faint crackling of an old beachbuggy came from behind the lot of Autobots. "They're buddies, man, compadre's. Interested in peace and search for happiness man."

The male with him grinned brightly, and slid his blue-glasses up over his long hair, "Dude, These guys are good."

"Totally." agreed the sandle-clad girl with him, "Beachcomber would never hurt anyone!"

"Metroplex?" A voice came from a building nearby, "These Autobots defend us from the Decepticons." Grace stepped out of a walkway, "They're friends, and... some of them are even family."

If Ironhide had flesh rather than metal, he would have blushed. Instead, he rolled his eyes and looked away. "You're alright."

"And grounded." both Will and Sam added at the same time.

"What?! I just helped you guys win a fight!"

Metroplex took in the information. He was silent as he ran the numbers. But after the long moment of silence, he decided that he would give these creatures the chance to prove it.

Carefully and slowly, several dozen openings came to light around the group. People began to come out.

Waking slowly to the sounds of a growing crowd, Liz opened her eyes. "Oh thank God," She managed, "I thought I'd died already. Saw my boys and everything."

Looking down, Optimus raised Liz so that he could see her a little more clearly, "My friend, I thought you had as well."

"Glad I didn't."

"As am I."

The growing crowd stared in awe at the metal, living giants around them. They surrounded the Autobots. Someone -and over prepared reporter- whipped out a tape recorder, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

"Did you save us?"

"How long have you been on earth?"

The questions began to come down like rain. Soon cameras were going off. There were cars from a nearby town pulling in, a news van.

Grace looked up at Ironhide. "It's started." She whispered with a shake.

For reasons unknown to her just yet, this frightened Grace even more than dealing with Metroplex, or Kit. She touched the living metal of her friend's leg, and looked back at the crowd. A camera went off in her face.

"Scuse me miss! Did I hear you speaking to him? Do you know him? Are you friends? How long have you know this creature?"

"He's not a creature! His name's Ironhide!" Grace defended. The aggressive reporter continued to ask questions. He didn't get far, however, as Lennox put his hand over the camera lens, "That's my kid you're botherin' there, buddy. No comment."

"What?"

"No. Comment."

"Sir! Do you know anything about what's happened in the City of Blairmore today?" A woman shoved a mic in his face. People were already milling around and trying to talk to the Autobots.

Optimus Prime was busying himself with Ratchet, trying to get he and Ella to care for Liz, as someone shouted up to him, "Hey! Who's the leader here!?"

Even though this battle was over, another one was about to begin.

* * *

Two more to go guys. Thanks for reading!!


	52. The End

_**And another one to quench your thirst. Sappy, short, and pretty much straight to the point. The last chapter is an Epilogue. :Kat:**_

...

Metroplex had allowed the humans to gather in the city's main square. He created a screen against one of the largest buildings to allow everyone to see what was happened, even though the Autobots were certainly large enough to not be missed.

He was satisfied with their explanations- and their reasoning for rolling into his city unannounced.

In some sick way, he was glad. Had they not come, he could have never helped the humans of his city, never become sentient.

Grace Lennox stood on a makeshift platform with her father and Sam. Her mother, Aunt and Nick had all been fetched from their hiding place... Neither of the women were pleased. And Nick was just happy to be able to play with Bumblebee again.

Ironhide stood behind her, with the rest of the Autobots who had come so far. So far, and only to find yet another issue in their way. Liz sat in a wheelchair, cigarette in her mouth, unlit, and looking cranky.

"This isn't where I wanted to spend my first ten minutes out of the hospital." she groused.

24 hours prior, the number of Autobots increased in such size that they'd never be able to hide all in one city.

12 hours prior, the world knew nothing about Autobots. To every person she knew, every person who had ever met her, Annabelle Grace Lennox was simply a teenager in high school. She drove a big truck and her father was in the military.

8 hours prior to this moment, Liz had felt the sinking sensation that came with old age- and the knowledge that no secret remains for long.

4 hours to this moment, they had been fighting. Metroplex had gained his consciousness. The fight had ended.

And now, at this very moment, they were all ready to face the world. Optimus Prime had no answered the question, 'Who's the leader?'. Kup had. Hound had.

Even Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had.

So the world looked up at the red and blue painted Autobot. Cameras were rolling. Television stations and internet videos were going nuts. Grace wondered for a moment how long it would take for YouTube to have these videos spamming their front page.

Nevermind how long it would take for someone to declare war against the Autobots. They were alien, after all. There were bound to be people in this world who were against their presence.

"My name is Optimus Prime." These five words echoed around the world simultaneously, holding firm a moment in human history that would never be forgotten. Answers to questions long pondered, long waiting, both silent and spoken were all poured out in a world of high technology.

Somewhere back home, Grace knew that Billy was planted in front of his notebook. She knew he was seeing her. For some reason, despite being filthy (having no clean clothes to change into) and disheveled, Grace had the urge to wave.

_Hey Billy._

As Optimus spoke, the crowds of city-people and reporters became totally silent.

"We have been here among you in silence, watching and protecting, our presence only known to few. We are peaceful, though there are those from our world who are not. What you have witnessed here today is-"

The words died in Graces ears. Somehow, she already knew that there were already people plotting, crying foul against her friends. She stared at the enormous crowd. The sounds of wind in her ears, the chill of Alberta autumn, they all served in the presence of the amazing beings behind her.

Liz looked over at Grace, and reached over, taking her hand. "It's gonna be fine, darlin'." she assured, "Optimus, he knows what he's doing."

"I know." She whispered back.

Grace knew when Optimus had stopped speaking when the flashbulbs began to go off and a quiet wave of words and voices became a cacophony of world questions. It rose like a tsunami, engulfing everything and everyone in it's path.

Metroplex spoke calmly over the ocean of noises.

"I will allow both humans and Autobots to remain within my walls. I will be a sanctuary to those who are looking for a peaceful life, so that we may learn from one another."

More flashbulbs and questions.

Sarah looked at her husband. She saw her daughter look towards them with a strange look in her eyes, and knew suddenly that something had changed.

Her daughter was no longer a teenager. She was an adult now. And about to make the decisions that would now shape the rest of her life. Sarah wondered if she would be able to handle whatever her daughter chose.

A gentle pressure on her hand from Will reminded her that between the three- nee, the _**four**_- of them, there was nothing they couldn't overcome. But the fight was far from over, and they all knew it, Autobot and human, alike.

...

Ratchet calmly worked on Flareup. Her arm was painstakingly frustrating to replace to it's original state. She wasn't making things any easier with her tales of explosions and the feeling of having her arm ripped out.

"It's worse getting it replaced!" She groaned as Ratchet worked.

"Are you just going to lay here and complain like a sparkling all night?" He heard Ella snicker from nearby, "And _**you**_, stop encouraging her!"

Flareup snickered, glancing at the human woman. "You must really enjoy the company of old clutters like Ratchet, here."

"I enjoy torturing him." Ella smiled brightly.

"I hate you both." Ratchet grumbled. It was all in good humor, after all.

...

Laying in the bed that had been provided for her in a local hotel Grace shifted. She wasn't able to sleep; not after everything that had happened that day. Everything that had happened over the last _**year**_.

Sitting up in the bed, Grace looked out the curtains of the hotel room. Two stories up, she could see some of the downtown that had been destroyed in battle. But one story below, she couldn't see anything that she might have hoped for.

No signs of any of the autobots.

Getting out of bed, Grace slipped into a pair of new jeans. They were stiff. She longed for a pair of her old sweatpants. Dressing quickly, and ignoring the state of her hair, Grace threw it up in a ponytail as she stepped out of the room.

The key was in her pocket.

Padding down the hallway in bare feet, Grace stepped outside of the hotel, greeting with a nod the man behind the counter, who stared at her as though she were a hero. Stepping out into the cold night, Grace shivered.

The long-sleeved shirt she'd been provided wasn't as warm as she'd hoped it would be.

But she didn't care, either. She walked down the sidewalk of the city. The pale streetlights bathed everything in orange and gold. Leaves from the trees scattered across the desolate street in the wind. Not knowing where she was headed, or why she was even out at such an hour, Grace kept walking.

Hope of seeing a familiar black topkick made her keep walking.

"Ow!"

Looking down at her bare feet, Grace lifted her right foot up. She'd stepped on a piece of glass. Blood stared at her in the dark. Picking it out of the bottom of her foot, Grace stood for a moment, before sitting down on a bus bench nearby.

_Why did I go out without shoes anyway?_

Grace sat in the chill of the air under a street lamp for an amount of time she couldn't figure for. Looking up at the sky, Grace saw no stars, only the reflection of city lights off low-lying clouds.

Looking down at her bare feet, and the concrete beneath them, she started to think. She'd been so surprised, so _**scared**_ when she'd found out about Ironnhide. He'd saved her, though. Some part of her had begun to care for him, although... more like an annoying older brother than like a boyfriend or lover. She'd been astounded, frustrated and hurt by the same creature, just like any human.

Hadn't she wanted to keep his secret to herself, though? And now, Grace was going to have to share Ironhide. Not just with her friends or family- but with the _**world**_.

Without even realizing what was going on, Grace felt a tear hit her dirty foot. "It's not fair." She whispered. She felt a strange vibration. Familiar. Turning in her seat, Grace looked up at Ironhide. He looked down at her, before squatting a little so that he could see her better.

"What's not fair?" He grumbled, "And why are you crying?" His gruff demeanor hadn't changed in the least.

Grace stood up, ignoring the pinch in her foot where the glass had cut her. "Ironhide! I was looking for you!"

He tilted his head, blinked his eyes. The whirring and clicking of metal and parts made Grace feel comfortable suddenly. "Is something the matter?"

"No. It's fine." She walked up to him, looking up at the 20-odd foot tall Autobot. "I was just... thinking about things."

Ironhide took a couple of steps into the street, and transformed. The door to the black Topkick truck opened. The dim cab-light within was glowing warmly.

"Come on." The hologram didn't appear this time. There was no point. Everyone knew about him now.

Grace climbed into the passenger seat of the cab. Before she could even get her seatbelt on, Ironhide was speeding off down the streets of the city.

Before long they were outside the city. The streets were long and quiet, no longer lit with the regular lamps that had been inside the city limits.

He didn't drive much further after that. He stopped at last on the side of the highway, and Grace stepped out.

Ironhide put down his hand, twitching a finger, motioning to Grace to come with him. She obliged, climbing up onto his hand, and holding onto his thumb to brace herself. He walked with her. "You were very quiet today."

"You were busy." she mused softly, "You're going to be busy a lot from now on." The Alberta landscape was flat in every direction. Even though Ironhide had probably driven four or maybe five kilometers outside of Blairmore, they were still able to see it clearly. But out here, the skies were cloudy and black. The reflection of the city lights created a halo around the city, but not any further out.

"I'm going to be busy because my job is Weapons specialist." He sat down and looked off in the distance.

"Are you going to stay here? In Blairmore?" Grace felt her voice crack.

"I may." He was honest, "But... not for a while."

_Not for a while?_

"I promised your father I'd look after you, after all."

Grace felt her heart ease. She put her cheek against his thumb, and sighed softly. She was relieved. If Ironhide knew it, he said nothing, but continued on with another subject. "I heard you speaking with Optimus Prime and Hound earlier. About a possible ambassador for the humans and Autobots."

"Mm." Grace nodded, "I think Uncle Sam would be fantastic for the job."

Ironhide was quiet, "I think you should consider it as well. Or at least, consider specializing your field of work in this."

"What? You mean Ethnography?" Grace thought about it for a moment, "I think it's only in relation to humans, tho. And I haven't even started college, yet!"

"It was. But now there are others living here." Ironhide was calm about it, "I know your father would approve greatly to know his daughter would be bridging the gap between our cultures."

Grace became quiet, shivering a little bit in a breeze. "I just.."

"I would be proud to have you working with us."

Turning around, Grace looked up at Ironhide. Her ponytail flipped about in the breeze, as she came to her feet and reached up to the giant. He brought her closer to his face, and she hugged him. A tear might have rubbed off on the metal of his cheek, but he said nothing about it.

"I was just jealous of having to share you, that's all." She whispered.

Ironhide felt like laughing and gawking at the same time. He pulled her away from his face. "Share me?" He was certainly confused if nothing else.

_Like what? A pony? A dog? A toy??_

"Because.. you were my secret... and you're a part of _**my**_ family. And.. I guess I just didn't want to share you, that's all."

"Don't be foolish." Eyes darted away at the gruff tone. "stupid child, I'm still here, aren't I?"

Grace blushed. "Yeah."

"There. Now no more fussing. Tomorrow we'll start back home." he looked down at her, and set her on the grass. "You should go get some sleep."

"I can't." Grace looked at the ground and pouted, "The bed sucks."

Ironhide transformed. "You can hide. From the snakes." He sounded abashed, as his door swung open. But Grace said nothing about his tone and climbed up in his cab.

...

Liz sat outside in her wheelchair. She fiddled with her lighter, looking up at the sky. Optimus stood nearby, looking up, himself.

"They chose you." the flame came up, and puffed out. She clicked it again, "I figured they would."

Optimus looked down at the woman. "You sound... pleased."

"Of course I'm pleased, hon!" Liz laughed. She lit her habit and tucked the lighter away in her sweater pocket. "Hurtin', but pleased." She chuckled softly and took a long drag. Holding her breath for a moment, she let out the smoke into the cool night.

Clicking her tongue, she looked up at her companion, "You decided to stay." She spoke with a motherly tone, "I think that's good. The world is going to need you. They'll need to know where to find you."

"And you, friend?"

Liz said nothing as she took another drag. The nicotine was bittersweet in her mouth. She ran her tongue along the insides of her teeth as she let go of the smoke. "I don't have anywhere else to go, Optimus."

She sounded so much older than she really was. "Once upon a time I might have headed back down south... stayed in Phoenix for a bit. Might've gone to St. Louis. But... Now?" She chuckled softly, "Not now. There's nobody left for me honey, but you. And I'd rather stay here."

Optimus looked down at the woman as she twitched her habit between her fingers. Ashes fell to the concrete below her chair.

"Saw my boys," She said in a quieter tone, "Wasn't my time yet. But when it comes, I don't want to be alone." Liz didn't look up to face her friend, "D'rather be here with you. I admit that I need to take care of my job- smokes and cereal don't come from good-looks you know." she laughed softly, "But I'm sure you understand."

Wondering at the words coming from the old woman, Optimus returned his gaze to the sky. She knew she would die long before he would; knew she was running short on time. She had said she'd seen her sons. Had she really been dead then? Or had she been hallucinating?

Optimus didn't want to ask her these things. He was... he was _**afraid**_ of the answer. If this was what waited for humans in their death, would Liz be waiting for him when _**his**_ time came? Eons and eons after she had turned to dust, Optimus knew his time would come. And when it did, somehow he wanted to be reassured that she'd be there in the matrix, with his mentors and fallen companions.

He wanted to meet her sons.

"I understand." he whispered into the night.

And no more words were exchanged between them.

...

**_And this, ladies and gents would be what they call "The last chapter" before that pesky epilogue. Um. A little over a year in the making and more than 50 chapters long, over 150k hits and almost a thousand reviews... And I have to admit that I'm proud that I finished this baby! I'm sorry for the huge friggin wait between chapters (although, doing the math, I think I measured out to about a chapter a week, give or take..)but I'm so glad for everyone who's stuck it out to see what would happen!!_**

**_So until next story (Which wont be this damned long!!) -Later!!_**


	53. Epilogue

EPILOGUE:

There was something definitely odd about being appointed ambassador. Sam was just... too old, he'd said. Grace had just hit her 27th birthday. Her hair, cropped shorter than it had been in her teen years was a mess. It was always a mess.

Her father didn't approve of the mess, or her single ways of living, but Ironhide had been right those years before- he was proud. And so was her mother.

Of course, Nick was a totally different story. He envied her position in the Autobot City, and often complained in his short, often misspelled, e-mails that he wanted to move up there, too! Now in Jr. High, the Witwicky boy had his hands more than plenty full, however. From what Grace understood, he was quite the little Ladies man. Of course, Aunt Mikaela had more than enough to say about "Ladies-men" running in the family. (And the trouble that often came with.)

Stepping into the enormous hallway in Autobot headquarters, Grace shifted uncomfortably. She'd only been in here a handful of times- now she was going to start spending her days and weeks in here. Somewhere not too far away, she could hear Flareup shouting something at a newcomer. Something about French, English and the word seal.

The woman was out of place here, in her comfortable jeans and buttoned blouse. She was wearing sneakers, not heels, as the other two women here were. Everyone who worked here was military. Everyone but her.

And already someone had decided to point out the obvious. "You're supposed to be in business attire."

Rolling her eyes, Grace folded her arms over her clipboard, "I'm not a business woman." Her tone was obvious. 'Take me like this, or do it all on your own. Good luck with Ironhide by the way, because I can just find a ride home.'

"You're just like Witwicky."

"Imagine that." Grace rolled her eyes again, "Look, I'm here to take a look at the new protocols. That's it. And then I'm off to my little corner of the world to do my work. You wont have to look at me again until tomorrow."

The older man, blading and skinny as a rail leaned over here, sneering, "You think you can just waltz in here and do whatever you like, young lady?"

"No. I think I can _**walk**_ in here, get the protocols, _**like I was asked**_, and get out again."

"_**Just**_ like Witwicky."

"Just like my father. You know him, I'm pretty sure, right Simmons?" Grace pointed at him, "The contact protocols. Please."

"That's-" Simmons voice was lost over the sound of Hound entering the bay.

"Ah! Gracie!" He grinned brightly, "Glad yer here, hon, I need'ta ask you some questions!" He threw his hands up behind his head, taking on a rather lax pose.

Smiling up at the army-green Autobot, Grace nodded, "Sure. I jut have to take care of these contact issues first."

"Who're ya dealin' with now?"

"Mm. Spain and France." a woman in a black, clean pressed uniform passed Simmons a file in a red folder. He passed it to Grace with a grunt as she took it, "Thanks."

"You gonna ask Ironhide to take care of the weapons issue?" he grumbled, "Because we've been asking for three days now."

"Look," Grace sighed, "Sometimes you just have to remind him. They live in a whole different time scale from us, so it doesn't seem as long to them, right?" She opened the file and stared at it, "It's in _**French**_."

"Ella's on Vacation. You have fun with that, soldier." Simmons did an about face to shout a command at some poor kid with a pot of coffee.

"I'm not a soldier, asshole!" Grace shouted back. She gave him the finger while she was at it. Somehow, she figured he could still kick her ass, or else he wouldn't have this job. But all the same, she didn't like him much. He often got in the way of research and her freedom of speech. Among other things.

Looking back up at Hound, he shook his head at her, "You should really treat 'im with a bit more respect, kid."

"He should treat me like an adult and not like one of his minions." Grace muttered smugly. "What'd you need to know?"

"Oh! It's just that I was talking with Mishka about-"

"Mishka again? You got a crush on her or something?" Grace smiled up at her friend. He made a face. He'd been working closely with an Immigrant woman from Russia. Very closely. He had a lot of questions and Mishka had a lot of answers.

"No."

Pausing at her office door, Grace looked up at him again, "Sure. Let me put this file away." Stepping into the comfortable, white room, Grace set the file on her desk. There were sticky notes all over the place- reminders that she needed to be in places with important people. Things she never thought she'd have to take care of in a position like hers.

Although she supposed that the title of Ambassador sort of made it like that.

In red pen, there was a note on the front of a photograph on her desk.

_**'Hide and Chromia 5P.M.**_

_**Don't forget!!**_

Right. She was going to talk about their customs for courting. She'd forgotten. It was already 4:30! Poor Hound would have to wait. Ironhide would get impatient if she were late. Even worse, _**Chromia**_ would become impatient, and even irritable if she were late.

Damn it all: If it wasn't her parents, it had to be her guardians!

She hurried to lock up and came back out, looking up at Hound. "I'm sorry, Hound, but I gotta run! I forgot about an appointment with Ironhide and Chromia!"

"She's gonna kick yer ass if yer late."

"I _**know**_." Grace hurried down the hall, grateful for sneakers and jeans.

Pushing open the clear glass door that led into the street, Grace had to shield her eyes from both the sun and the glint of sunshine on metal forms. Autobots had flocked to earth, and to the Autobot City of Blairmore. Now that the humans knew they were here, it had become more than just a booming city- Metroplex had become a _**Metropolis**_.

Children ran between the feet of Autobots without fear, and Adults chatted with them, just as they would chat with any of their human neighbors. Buses ran for the humans. Nobody knew that two of them were brother Autobots. They were too shy to show themselves to the world, yet. But this pleased them, and they were more than happy to work like this.

The heat of late summer shimmered off the streets. From nearby, someone was selling hot dogs, and an ice-cream truck played it's annoying catchy tune as it turned off main street, into one of the neighborhoods.

Grace only wished that the rest of this world were so peaceful in regards to the Autobots. In other places, Autobots were shunned, attacked... People would always be afraid. And now there was the question of their citizenship to be dealt with! Governments were trying to decide what kind of citizenship rights these Aliens should be given. Would they need green cards? Would green cards make a difference?

Needless to say, the young woman was busy. _**Very busy.**_

Grabbing her bike from the rack, she peddled down the street, careful of pedestrians and Autobot alike. Wind blowing through her hair, Grace felt complete.

Sure, there were still problems. There would always be problems. Just like Liz said: We have hundreds of years of racial abuse, segregation and hate. _**And they were human.**_ It's going to be a lot harder for our friends.

Grace was glad to be a part of it, though. She loved her job; loved the Autobots to pieces. There was no other way in the world she'd ever want to spend her life.

So Chromia and Ironhide would be cranky, and Optimus would worry about Liz, who was now spending her days in an assisted living home, her mother and father would call every night to make sure she was full, and well, and her Aunt and Uncle and Nephew would e-mail her the latest news from back home.

Although, Grace figured, this was home now. And she was happy with that.


End file.
